Reap What You Sow
by Raging Archon
Summary: The Vytal Festival, a time of peace and celebration and a chance for hunters to test their mettle. But a series of murders threatens to shatter the peace and plunge Remnant into chaos. Team RWBY and JNPR take it upon themselves to find this murderer, but some things are best left undisturbed... Rated M for Violence and Language. Slight AU.
1. The Harvest Begins

**Hello there, this is a fic I thought seemed like a good idea. As with my other fics, I'll try and update it once a week. If you like what you see here, check out my other fan fic 'RWBY: The Chorus Chronicle'. Now, on with the show!**

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 **Chapter One- The Harvest Begins…**

The Emerald Forest, a seemingly endless mass of terrain that stretches farther then the eye can see. It is here that the initiation for Beacon Academy takes place, as the glade is filled to the brim with the monstrous Grimm. It is also here that many young Hunter's in training go to train, preparing themselves for the Vytal Tournament. One group, a team known as Team MNTS, was engaged in combat with a pack of Beowolves, with more coming as the fighting continued.

"Samael, watch your flank!" Maurice, team leader of MNTS, shouted as he blocked a swipe from a Beowolf with his Great sword.

Samael, a Ram Faunus, turned to face the charging Grimm, bashing his shield in its muzzle to stun it before bringing his mallet down and crushing the Grimm's skull. The faunus chuckled before he swiped at another Beowolf, snapping it's neck as the mallet hit the side of the Beowolf's head. Maurice smiled slightly as he blocked yet another swipe from the Grimm before delivering an uppercut to the Grimm, it's bodily fluids spilling out of the open wound before Maurice swung to the right with the weapon, quickly decapitating it.

"Overkill much?" Samael joked, nodding to the now disintegrating form of the Beowolf.

"Kill first, joke later!" Nathan, the heavy hitter of the team, barked as he snapped the jaws of a Beowolf open before slashing at the neck of another one with his wrist-mounted claws, red blood erupting from the open wound.

Samael rolled his eyes before he ran off to join Tiffany, the only female member of the group. Tiffany was engaged in a fight with four Beowolves, the Grimm barely able to get a hit on the girl who slashed at them with a pair of daggers. A fifth Beowolf charged her from behind before Samael rammed into it, sending the Grimm flying into a tree where it landed with an audible snap. Tiffany continued to push the Grimm back, her movements almost mesmerising as she swung at the Grimm with her trademark precision and lethality. Three of the Grimm swung forth in unison, hoping to bring the blade down and get a clean strike with the other paw. Tiffany simply sidestepped the swipes before delivering a swipe of her own, the top's of the Beowolves head's sliding off as their limp bodies fell forward.

The last Beowolf, which was clearly older then it's compatriots, roared at the Huntress before turning tail and sprinting off into the forest, hoping to fight another day. Nathan chuckled and raised one of the wrist mounted claws, the blades shooting out soon after with a wire rope attached to each blade. The sound of metal piercing flesh was heard, followed by a pained whelp, as Nathan dragged the Grimm back to the team. The Beowolf clawed at the dirt as it attempted to gain a grip on the ground before Maurice thrust his sword into the back of the Grimm's neck, killing it instantly.

"I think it's safe to say we've killed more then enough Grimm today." Tiffany said, turning to face the rest of her team-mates. Samael nodded in agreement whilst Nathan merely grunted before turning to face Maurice.

"Agreed, lets move MNTS." Maurice replied, strapping the Great sword to his back and moving forward, followed by the rest of his team. Maurice pulled his scroll out his pocket and proceeded to call the Bullhead Pilot that dropped them off.

"343, this is MNTS. We've finished clearing up this sector and are ready for pick-up." Maurice said, his eyes never stopping to scan the forest.

" _Copy that MNTS, Bullhead is en route to your location. Stand by for pick-up."_ the pilot designated 343 replied before hanging up. Maurice placed the scroll back in his pocket as he continued to scan the tree-line for any movement. His eyes then landed upon Tiffany, and he stopped. Tiffany turned to face him and simply smiled at him. Maurice felt the blood rush to his face as he awkwardly turned heel and joined Samael who was sat watching the forest.

"Dude, if you like her then you should just ask her out! What's the worst that could happen?" Samael whispered, nudging Maurice as he spoke.

"What if she says no?!" Maurice whispered back, holding his arms out exasperatedly as Samael chuckled to himself.

"Trust me, she won't say no." Samael replied, placing a hand on Maurice's shoulder as he spoke.

"How do you know that?" Maurice asked, taking a quick glance behind his shoulder and saw Tiffany conversing with Nathan.

"Because she likes you!" Samael replied, causing Maurice to look at him with a surprised expression.

"She does?" Maurice asked as Nathan joined the two other hunter's.

"Of course! Now go out there and grab the bull by the horns!" Samael cheerfully replied, reassuringly patting Maurice on the back and pushing him forward. "Figuratively speaking of course." Samael quickly added. Maurice took a deep breath in order to compose himself and walked forward to Tiffany.

"Does she like him?" Nathan quietly asked, raising an eyebrow as he turned to face Samael.

"No idea." Samael replied, shaking his head as he spoke.

Maurice walked forward, wiping his hands on his trousers as he felt the nervousness creep up on him again. Soon enough, he was standing behind Tiffany who didn't even seem to notice him, her attention turned to the forest.

"Hey...uh...Tiffany, can I...ask you something?" Maurice managed to say, nearly choking on his words.

"Of course, what's wrong?" Tiffany asked, turning to face Maurice. The pressure inside Maurice began to build up as he struggled to find the right words, Tiffany looking at him expectantly.

"I was...wondering if maybe...you wanted to go to...the end of year dance with me?" Maurice finally said, unsure of the question himself.

Tiffany's eyes widened in surprise as Maurice spoke, his face contorted in confusion.

"Are...are you asking me out?" Tiffany asked, a small smile appearing on her face.

"I-I mean...if that's what you want," Maurice replied in a panicked manner, causing Nathan and Samael to both laugh and face palm at their leader's nervousness. "But don't feel like you have to if you don't-" Maurice was cut off as Tiffany placed a finger on his lips, silencing him for a short time.

"I'd love to go with you." Tiffany replied before kissing Maurice on the cheek, causing him to blush uncontrollably.

Maurice couldn't believe it, he felt as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He laughed to himself as Nathan and Samael applauded the pair. Soon, all four hunter's were laughing amongst one another, having a small celebration amongst themselves. Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Maurice turned to face Samael, but the grin disappeared as he noticed Samael gazing into the forest with a grim look on his face, a rare sight on the usually flamboyant faunus. The others began to notice and looked with concern at the faunus, who's eyes were still focused on the tree-line.

"Samael?" Maurice asked, turning to follow the faunus' gaze but saw nothing but shadow.

"There's something out there..." Samael replied, his hands reaching for his shield and mallet. The rest of the team followed suite, drawing their respective weapons and entering a combat stance, their bodies shifting at the slightest noise…

 _BANG!_

The bullet struck faster than anyone anticipated, hitting Samael square in the head, the top half of his head disappearing in a cloud of red mist and bone as his limp body hit the floor.

"SAMAEL!" Nathan shouted, turning to face the tree-line and growled in anger at the unknown assailant. Black mist seeped out of the forest, circling the three hunter's before congregating on a single point, rising as the mist began to take form.

"Contact!" Maurice yelled as his Great-sword shifted into a shotgun and he took aim.

As the hunter's took aim, the mist before them started to get more distinguishable features. It was tall, approximately 1.85 metres, yet it was far too thin and straight to be a Grimm. It was at that point that Tiffany realised with horror what the assailant was.

"Guys, that's not a Grimm..." She said, causing Nathan and Maurice to look at her in confusion. "I...I think it's human!"

Tiffany's assumption was soon made correct as the black mist finally took a corporeal form. They wore a long black hooded trench coat with black leather armour underneath. Dull grey metal greaves protected his calves and spiked metal gauntlet's protected his forearms. They had a muscular build, with what little flesh that could be seen an almost pale grey. Three shotgun shells were strapped to his chest piece while another six were attached to his belt. In each hand, he held a small hand-held shotgun with Sickle blades on the end of each grip. His face was hidden by a bone white mask, designed like a skull. The figure walked forward and let out a sinister laugh, before he aimed both weapons at the hunter's and let loose a torrent of bullets.

Maurice and Tiffany dodged the hail of bullets while Nathan held his gauntlet's to his face, shielding his skin from the barrage. Tiffany flanked the assassin as her dagger's morphed into pistol's and fired at his head and hands. The assassin dodged the bullets and returned fire, Tiffany only just managing to dodge the assault. Maurice fired a shell at the assassin, who once again dodged and returned fire.

Maurice dodged most of the bullet's, but one hit him in the shoulder, staggering him leaving him open for an attack. Almost immediately the assassin rushed forward, the shotgun's transforming into crude looking sickles and prepared to bring them down on the Hunter. Maurice only just managed to raise the shotgun in defence, stopping the sickle's from descending further. With a sharp tug, the assassin pulled the shotgun out of Maurice's grasp and delivered a swift kick into his gut, sending him sprawling into the dirt.

Tiffany charged forward, but the assassin batted her to the side, a long thin cut appearing on her face where the sickle sliced her. The assassin turned his attention back to the downed Maurice, raising one of the crude blade's to deliver a killing blow.

 _FWOOSH!_

The tethered blade sped towards the assassin, who barely dodged the incoming missile. The assassin turned towards Nathan, his right fist held out as the middle claw returned to his gauntlet and his hands raised in a boxer's stance.

"What's the matter punk? Afraid you'll loose?" Nathan taunted, his fists still raised in a boxer's stance.

The assassin turned to face Nathan as he rushed forward, swinging the sickles in a wide arc in front of him. The blades scraped the metal gauntlet's and leaving him open, which Nathan took full advantage of. A swung at the assassin with multiple punches, each punch hitting their mark and knocking the assassin back. The assassin merely laughed and charged yet again. As Nathan swung at the assassin with both fists, he hooked the sickles around the wrists and delivered a kick into Nathan's chest, staggering him slightly.

Nathan growled and charged, his right curled into a fist and raised to deliver a powerful blow. Black mist erupted around the assassin as he became incorporeal and Nathan's fist slamming only into the dirt where he once stood. The mist quickly transported behind him and the assassin reappeared and slashed at Nathan's back with his right sickle, a long gash appearing on his back.

Nathan screamed in pain as he clutched his back, he seethed and spun around as he swung yet another right hook, though this one far slower then the last. The assassin became incorporeal again and dashed forward, reappearing behind Nathan and slashing his ankles with both blades. Nathan cried out again and keeled over in pain as blood poured out the three wounds. Maurice and Tiffany could only watch in horror as the assassin walked in front of Nathan and jammed the blade in his lower jaw, the tip of the sickle protruding from the top of his head. The assassin tugged the blade free as his limp body fell forward, blood still pouring from the wound.

Maurice roared in anger, reaching for his shotgun and shifting it into its Great sword form. He brought the blade down...just as the assassin dispersed and the black mist fled into the forest. Nathan looked around wearily, both Nathan and Samael laid dead before him as Tiffany slowly approached, tears streaming down her face.

"The-They're dead..." Tiffany murmured as the tears continued to stream from her face unabated.

"We need to focus or else we'll be dead too! That...thing is still out there!" Maurice replied, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Tiffany took a deep breath and nodded and turned to face the forest. The two survivor's stood back to back, watching for the assassin's return.

Suddenly, the sound of air being broken could be heard, and the two students looked up and sighed in relief. The Bullhead had arrived, the search light on its front scanning the forest. Maurice let out a relieved laugh and turned to face Tiffany who looked back at him with a grin on her face. But the grin soon changed into one of horror, as she stepped back in fear. Maurice then felt a cold sensation run up his spine as he heard strange whispers behind.

His eyes widened as he registered the danger too late, the tips of the sickle's piercing his back and protruding through his chest as he was lifted off the ground. Tiffany let out a horrified scream as she dropped her weapons in shock. Maurice writhed in agony as the black mist enveloped him, both the assassin and Maurice disappearing into the forest.

"Maurice!" Tiffany shouted, rushing after the black mist with all her energy. She ran after the mist, but soon lost sight of it in the rough terrain. She looked around helplessly, not willing to give up. Then, she heard cries of agony. Cries she recognised.

"Maurice!" Tiffany shouted, following the cries as they got closer and closer. She found herself in a clearing, the one they'd just cleared of Grimm, and looked in horror at the sight before her. Maurice laid, half dead, impaled on a tree branch. He held out his hand as he began to choke on his own blood. It was then that Tiffany felt a cold chill run up her spine, as she realised with horror that she'd walked into a trap.

She felt a hand clamp around her mouth and another grasp the back of her head. She let out a muffled scream as she struggled to free herself from the assassin's grip. After a short struggle, the assassin sharply jerked her head at an odd angle, snapping her neck with an audible crack and letting her limp body fall to the floor. The assassin twisted his head to the side, the sound of neck bones popping as he continued to twist. He turned to leave, when he heard a soft gurgling noise behind him.

He looked behind him and saw Maurice, still holding his hand out in surrender as more blood poured from his mouth. The assassin unclipped the shotgun on his right leg and held it out, pulling the trigger. The shot resounded throughout the Forest as the young hunter slumped forward, finally dead. The assassin holstered his weapon and disappeared into the forest as the Bullhead's searchlight hovered over the clearing…

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 **I hope you enjoyed the first chapter in what I hope will be a successful Fan-Fic. The current cover is temporary so expect an update on that whenever. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in your reviews. Feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is always welcome.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	2. Infiltration

**Hello everyone and another chapter is here! Wasn't sure I'd be able to get it out but thankfully, I did. Now, a quick note that I really should have mentioned but forgot in the last chapter. This fic is slight AU, in the fact that elements and characters from the Overwatch Universe are blended in with the RWBY universe. That is why, for those that are wondering, Reaper's Hellfire Shotgun's had Sickle blades attached to them and could morph. Now, on with the show!**

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 **Chapter 2- Infiltration**

 **One Week Later…**

Shaun watched as the monitor's on his screen showed constant surveillance footage of the city of Vale. The entirety of the Vale Police Department, or VPD for short, was on high alert for the murderer known simply as 'The Vale Reaper'. That was why when a shoot-out at the nearby docks was reported in, nearly the entirety of the force had responded, leaving only a few squads to man the station. Shaun and his partner, Dave, were currently stuck on monitoring duty, scanning all CCTV footage for any signs of the killer, which was nearly impossible due to the vibrant night life that tended to occur whenever the Tournament was starting.

Shaun sighed as he rubbed his eyes, crusty flakes sprinkling out of them as he strained to stay awake.

"Say, I'm going to get a Coffee. You want one?" Dave asked, turning to face Shaun whilst pointing towards the door.

Shaun merely grunted in response, nodding his head to silently reply. Almost immediately, Dave spun around in his chair and stood up, walking towards the door which hissed open upon recognising him on its detectors. Shaun laid back in his chair as he continued to monitor the CCTV footage, waiting for something to happen…

 _BEEP...BEEP...BEEP…_

Shaun sat up almost immediately at the sound of the motion detectors going off. He looked at the flashing red light as it continued to drone on and on. He turned around immediately to see if he could spot the intruder...and saw nothing. He watched as the door slowly closed, but the room itself was empty apart from him. There was little to no hiding places and the room was well lit. Gently, he tapped the flashing red light and the motion sensors switched off. Deducing it was nothing more but a technical glitch, Shaun laid back again and resumed to watching-

 _BEEP...BEEP...BEEP…_

Shaun let out an agitated growl as he looked around and was greeted by absolutely nothing. Perhaps it was a rat or something, whilst the motion sensors were only meant to go off when an unregistered signal of a certain size entered the room, it wasn't the first time the electricians had accidentally recalibrated its settings. He once again turned to tap the motion sensors so he could resume-

" _Shaun, you there?"_

Shaun let out a startled scream as his radio buzzed to life. He belittled himself for allowing himself to be scared so easily as he reached out to grab the radio and respond.

"Yeah Dave, I read you..." Shaun lazily replied as he held the radio to his lips.

" _Just wanted to check, how do you take your coffee?"_ Dave asked, causing Shaun to sigh loudly.

"White with two sugars, we go over this every time you go to make Coffee!" Shaun replied exasperatedly, shaking his head as he heard Dave laugh on the other end.

" _All right! Just wanted to make sure, that's all."_ Dave chuckled, earning yet another sigh from Shaun. Suddenly, a beeping noise came through on the radio, indicating yet another contact on the radio.

"Hey, hold on a sec..." Shaun said as he switched to the other channel on his radio. "This is monitoring room, go ahead!"

" _Security team Delta here. Motion sensors in your sector just went off, everything all right in there?"_ a gruff voice asked on the other end of the radio.

"Yeah everything's fine, just faulty motion sensors I think..." Shaun replied, rubbing his temple as he spoke.

" _Roger that, we'll send a team to sweep the area, just in case."_ the voice replied, causing Shaun to curse silently.

"Copy that, over and out." Shaun said before he switched channels back to Dave's radio. "Sorry about that, anything else?"

" _Hey, everything all right in there?"_ Dave asked, concern loud and present in his voice.

"Yeah, motion sensors went off earlier. Probably just a bug but they're sending a team to sweep the area just in case." Shaun replied, the thought of how Dave was aware of the conversation slipping through his mind.

" _Oh, probably just a maintenance bug or something,"_ Dave replied, earning a small chuckle from Shaun. _"either that or it has something to do with the veteran huntsman standing right behind you..."_

"Yeah..." Shaun chuckled before his mind registered what Dave had said. "Wait...wha-"

Shaun let out a strangled sound as he felt a hand clamp onto the back of his neck, tightening around his windpipe and causing him to stiffen up immediately. He strained his head so he was able to identify his attacker and froze. They wore a blue, white, red and black leather jacket that was zipped all the way up, catching a glimpse of black body armour underneath along with a black harness with ammo pouches attached to it. Multiple shotguns shells were strapped to his left arm just below his shoulder with red metal gauntlets covering his hands. Black military trousers covered his legs whilst another ammo belt was strapped around his waist, a holster which housed a large black pistol also attached. Black military grade boots protected both his shins and feet whilst also allowing him to deliver a large amount of force with them.

Shaun looked up to further identify his attacker, only to find the majority of his head covered by a strange mask of some sort. The mask gave off no expression and seemed simple in design, the only high tech piece of equipment on it seemingly being the long red visor that protected his eyes. Only the top of his head could be identified, showing a furrowed brow with the tip of a long scar present on the left side of his face along with rugged white hair that showed some slight tints of golden blonde. The faceless man brought a small black radio to where his mouth should have been and activated it.

"Yeah, something along those lines..." the man replied, his voice distorting between that of Dave's and a gruff one he didn't recognise. The man then slammed Shaun's head onto the desk, sending him spiralling backwards from the power of the blow as he slumped to the ground, unconscious but alive.

The man then shoved Shaun's groaning body to the side and sat down in the chair he had previously occupied. He began to sort through the files on the VPD servers, paying particular interest to the recent crimes documented. Specifically recent murders. It was then that he heard the door open and he spun around, standing up as he did.

"All right, got your black coffee with no...sugars..." Dave announced, stuttering as he noticed the intruder and Shaun's crumpled form in the corner of the room. "What the..."

The man quickly kicked the chair at Dave, sending him spiralling forward with a surprised grunt as the two coffee mugs shattered on the floor. As Dave attempted to rise, the man brought his left heel down on the back of his head, knocking him out as well.

The man quickly dragged his unconscious body into the room and slumped him next to Shaun, who groaned groggily as the extra weight was piled on top of him. The man then turned his attention back to the control panel, swiping a few commands to initiate a lock down on the door to avoid future disturbances.

He then proceeded to shift through the recent murder files, glancing his eyes across the numerous files. White Fang, Roman Torchwick, Mafia…Vale Reaper. He opened the file and numerous documents immediately lit the screen. Recordings, morgue documents, reports, eye-witness accounts...everything he needed.

 _KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!_

"Hey, open up!" a gruff voice on the other side ordered.

The man cursed himself, his earlier slip-up of setting off the motion sensors had just come around to bite him in the ass. He didn't have long before the security team decided to throw ceremony out the window and just cut their way through the door. He pulled out a storage device hidden in one of his ammo pouches and plugged it in. From there he copied all files on the Vale Reaper onto the storage device as the knocking continued.

"That's it, break it down!" the voice finally ordered, followed by a large amount shuffling.

Immediately, sparks began to fly around the door frame as the officers on the other side began to cut it down. The man turned to see the progress on the downloading on the files. 25%, more then enough time…

He slowly turned as he cracked his knuckles, the sparking now reaching the top of the door and beginning to go across to the other side. He glanced behind him at the monitor again, 40% downloaded. The sparking was now reaching the bottom of the door as he heard the officers on the other side readying themselves. He flexed his fingers in anticipation of the coming fight as the sparks reached the bottom of the door.

The sparks stopped, the door groaning slightly as gravity started to take effect on the cut-out. Soon after, the door fell with a resounding bang. Time seemed to slow down as the man analysed the situation before him. Six men, all wearing standard SWAT uniforms and equipped with police grade dust rifles. He had to deal with them quickly if he wanted to stand a chance. His primary weapon was back at his hideout, it was too big and bulky for a mission that required stealth. His dust pistol would be able to deal with them temporarily, but he only had two ammo clips to use and had no idea what other opposition he would face in his escape. No, he had to improvise. His hand immediately went for a small device attached to the back of his belt, a gift from a friend long gone.

Pressing the trigger on the device, he threw it at the SWAT team and closed his eyes tight and braced himself for what would eventually come next…

 _BANG!_

"Shit! Flash-bang!"

"I can't see!"

"Hold your fire!"

The man opened his eyes and watched as the SWAT team stumbled around, bumping into one another on more then one occasion. Perfect.

He immediately dashed forward, kicking one of the men in the gut and causing him to keel over in pain. He then proceeded to flip him forward, sending him spiralling into the desk where he slumped to the floor. He then dashed to the second and punched him in his visor, the blow immediately knocking him to ground, a wide crack in his visor testament to the blow he received. He then spun around and kicked a third in the throat, the man gasping for air whilst he clutched his windpipe. A quick jab with both fists to his chest sent him flying backwards where he hit a fourth man, sending both toppling to the floor. By the time they both hit the ground, the final two had recovered from the effects of the flash-bang and looked on in complete shock at their beaten comrades.

"What the hell are you waiting for, shoot him!" one of the officers shouted.

The other nodded before bringing his rifle up and opening fire. The man weaved through the bullets as each one flew past him. Whilst both had recovered from the initial effects of the flash-bang, the additional side effects such as blurred vision and sensitive hearing were starting to take effect. With a single kick, the man knocked the rifle out of the officers hand before kicking him backwards. The officer stumbled into his partner who pushed him forward again to get him back into the fight.

The man waited until the officer toppled towards him before he simply stood to the side, tripping the officer over in the process who landed face first onto the floor. The man turned to the final officer, who had thrown his rifle to the floor in a fit of rage and held his fists up ready for a fight. Big mistake.

"You're starting to really piss me off now!" the officer shouted, charging forward as he spoke.

He swung a right hook which was quickly grabbed by the man's right hand before throwing a left hook which was easily caught by the man's left hand. He quickly head-butted the officer before delivering a ground-level kick, sweeping the officer out from under his feet where he barely managed to regain his footing. In a last ditch attempt, the officer let out a primal roar and charged forward, hoping to catch the man off guard with his sudden burst of energy.

The man simply waited until the man was in legs length, and performed two roundhouse kicks in succession to his head before delivering a third overhead kick to the base of his skull. The officer stood still for a few seconds, before he fell back onto the floor, completely drained of all energy. The man grunted in response and looked around him, eight injured, zero self-injuries and most importantly, zero casualties. He turned to look at the main monitor, and whilst he was aware the screen had taken a large amount of hits, it still displayed the download process rather clearly.

100%.

He quickly unplugged the storage device and quickly placed it inside one of his ammo pouches. As he turned to leave, alarms started blaring around him as the previously white hallway turned a sudden shade of crimson. The sound of people running in his direction caught his attention and naturally, he ran in the opposite direction. As he ran, he came across a crossroads as another officer scanned the hallway, his back turned to him as he lifted a dust shotgun in case of sudden movements. He tackled the officer, sending the shotgun spiralling out of his hand as he rolled into a standing position as he landed. As the officer attempted to get up, the man clocked him around the jaw, knocking him out cold.

He continued to run as he drew his pistol, confident he would need it soon in case he encountered more resistance. As he turned another corner, he was met by a pair of officers who had pistols trained on him. Before they could even react, the man fired two shots, hitting both officers in their legs and causing them to stumble to the floor in pain as he raced past them. After turning another corner, he was greeted by gunfire from four officers, one of which was in SWAT uniform. He fired four consecutive shots at the officers, three of them stumbling in pain as they were hit in their right shoulder, left knee and right thigh respectively.

However, the fourths body armour protected him from the brunt of the assault, allowing him to deliver a pot-shot at the man. Whilst he was able to dodge most of the shots fired his way, one of the bullets scraped his left shoulder, causing him to wince in pain before he rushed onwards. He continued to run through the hallway, but soon found himself cut-off by a group of officers, armed with riot shields. He skidded to a halt and turned tail back the way he came, only to find another squad blocking his path. He looked around for an alternate escape route, but the only other option was a window adjacent to him that through a pathway that led directly to the city centre where he could loose the officers. The only problem was that the level he was in was at least two storeys high, with the jump possibly causing some serious injury to himself.

"This is your last chance! Drop the weapon and put your hands on your head!" one of the officers shouted. It would be easy to just surrender, to just lay down his arms and go quietly. But if he did, then there was a chance that the murderer could escape...a chance he wasn't willing to take.

He backed away slowly, both teams either side of him drawing closer each second. Then faster then even he anticipated, he raised his pistol and fired two shots at the window before charging forward, smashing into the window and showering himself with the minuscule shards of glass. Bullets flew around him as both teams fired at his position, only a few finding their mark. As the ground came closer, he buckled his knees and braced for a hard landing. He hit the floor with a resounding clash, rolling as he regained his bearings. He glanced around for a few seconds, before turning around looking at where he had just jumped. All ready some of the officers had resorted to using the opening he had created as a sniping post, he rushed forward whilst dashing from side to side in the process, knowing an unpredictable target was harder to hit than a moving one.

He turned the corner and kept running, only glancing when he heard the sound of others behind him. Five officers were now on his tail, but they wouldn't be for long. He turned a final corner as he found himself in the city centre, blending in with the crowd. He glanced back to the way he had come, watching as the five officers found themselves unable to enter the mass of people before them. He continued to watch as the officers eventually gave up, turning to return to their headquarters. He smiled slightly behind his mask and wandered further into the crowd, ignoring the strange glances people were giving him. He then took out the storage device, looking to ensure it was still intact. His fist clasped around the device as he looked to a nearby poster, depicting a 100,000 lien bounty on the 'Vale Reaper'.

"Time to see who you really are..." the man said, slipping the device back into his pouch before retreating into the shadows…

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 **Well...that escalated quickly! I hope I gave you all enough clues as to who the mysterious man was. If you haven't guessed just yet, you'll find out soon enough. And for all those wondering 'Where the hell is Team RWBY?', you don't have to wait long my friends. If you liked this chapter, feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is always welcome. Any questions? Either PM me or leave them in your review.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	3. The Vow

**Why hello again, glad to see that you all stuck around for the next chapter. So just going to answer some questions before we dive in. ZXAdvent:- Yes, things will certainly be chaotic with not one, but two new players in the game. And whilst Cinder may try something with the Reaper, don't expect it to go according to plan. After all, Reaper has no allegiance. OutlastTheDark:- The Overwatch characters were born on Remnant and will have a semblance. Reaper's, if you hadn't guessed already, is teleportation or as I like to call it, Shadow-Walking. Still thinking about our friend from the last chapter though so if any suggestions, feel free to comment. Now, on with the show!**

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 **Chapter 3- The Vow**

 **One week before the Tournament….**

" _Combat Droid's online!"_ a computerised female voice announced as four skeletal like robots entered the sparring arena. Ruby loaded _Crescent Rose_ with a fresh magazine which resounded with a satisfying click. She turned to face the rest of her team to see if they were as ready as she was. Weiss had already assumed a combat stance with _Myrtenaster_ pointed at the row of robots, Blake was standing with her knees bent slightly in preparation for a lunge whilst her sister, Yang, was in a boxer stance as she pointed _Ember Cilica_ at the robots. Ruby turned to face their adversaries, analysing them for any possible weaknesses.

Each Droid was equipped with a separate weapon to fully replicate a team within the Vytal Tournament. The first one was equipped with a crude scimitar and a spiked shield that also functioned as a hand cannon. The second was wielding an energy staff that judging from the scope attached to the centre, also functioned as a sniper. The third was armed with a pair of Rondels that seemed to function as pistols whilst the last was wielding a large hammer that seemed to function as a Gatling gun. Ruby then looked to the stands where Team JNPR were watching, a control panel that decided the difficulty of the fight in front of them.

"YOU GUYS READY?" Jaune shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice. Team RWBY simply nodded in response, causing Jaune to press a few buttons on the control panel.

" _Difficulty level set to- Medium!"_ the voice from earlier announced as the four Droids entered a combat stance. _"Match beginning in...5...4...3...2..."_

"See you all on the other side." Yang said, a mischievous grin on her face as she set her eyes on the Droid with the hammer.

" _...One...Begin!"_

The sparring arena was filled to the brim with action almost immediately. Hand-Cannon and Stabby, as Ruby had decided to call them, charged forward whilst Hammer-Bro and Snipes stayed at the rear, firing from afar.

Ruby fired round after round from _Crescent Rose_ at Hand-Cannon, who easily blocked the shots with his...or its to be more precise...shield. When the Droid began to get too close for comfort, Ruby changed _Crescent Rose_ into its Scythe form and swung at the Droids feet, Hand-Cannon barely side stepping the swipe before it delivered an overhead strike which Ruby was quick to block. Hand-Cannon then swung forward with its shield, batting Ruby back with a large amount of force. It then pointed the shield at Ruby, the barrel of the hidden cannon whirling to life as a large amount of energy was being powered into it.

Ruby was quick to use her semblance to dodge the incoming projectile, though she could feel the heat coming off the projectile as it zoomed past her. The weapon still trained on her, the Droid prepared to fire yet another projectile at Ruby. Before the weapon could fully charge however, Ruby used her semblance to dash into the Droid, shoulder barging it as she flew past causing the Droid to stumble and fire the shot into the roof, a large amount of dust and debris falling from the centre of impact. Ruby took the time for the Droid to recover to take a glance at the rest of her team.

Weiss was fighting toe to toe with Stabby, both combatants matching each other on speed and precision. Yang had already closed the gap between her and Hammer-Bro, using her speed to her advantage as she pummelled the slower droid. Blake meanwhile, was forced to fight from afar using her semblance and _Gambol Shroud_ to do battle with Snipes, who was firing with lethal accuracy at Blake.

"Yang! Blake!" Ruby shouted, causing the blonde brawler and faunus to turn towards Ruby. "Switch!" Ruby ordered, the two huntresses nodding in acknowledgement.

Yang sprinted towards Snipes, who now had its sights trained on her, firing round after round at Yang who merely sidestepped each and every one. Blake then turned her attention towards Hammer-Bro, rushing forward whilst dodging the spray of bullets coming out of the Gatling Gun.

Ruby then turned around, only to get a shield to the face as Hand-Cannon had fully recovered, sending her spiralling into Weiss, knocking the two huntresses over.

"Watch where you're going!" Weiss scolded, brushing dust off her jacket as she pointed _Myrtenaster_ at Stabby, who was now flanked by Hand-Cannon.

"Sorry!" Ruby hastily replied as she brought _Crescent Rose_ up to defend herself from any possible attack. "Okay, new plan of attack! You take Hand-Cannon while I go for Stabby!" Ruby said, pointing _Crescent Rose_ at Stabby who was now slowly edging towards the two huntresses.

"Right...wait, what?" Weiss asked, clearly unaware of Ruby's pet names for the Droids.

"Just hit the one with the shield..." Ruby sighed as Weiss nodded in realisation.

Ruby then sprung towards Stabby, using her semblance to seemingly create a tornado of rose petals and metal, forcing Stabby to step back as it fired shots from its weapons pistol forms, each round seemingly being sucked into the vortex. Weiss summoned a ring of glyphs around Hand-Cannon, who merely looked around in confusion at their sudden appearance. Weiss then dashed forward in a flurry of ice and steel, resounding off the glyphs as she dashed into Hand-Cannon multiple times. The Droid stumbled at each blow as sparks of electricity danced along it's form, indicating its shields were critical. Weiss placed a final ice glyph under Hand-Cannon's feet, the glyph triggering almost immediately as what was left of its broken body was entombed in ice. Weiss smiled at her handiwork as she turned to face Ruby.

Ruby had successfully managed to herd Stabby into the edge of the arena wall, having managed to keep the tornado up for a considerable amount of time. With nowhere else to go, Stabby was sucked into the vortex as sparks and Droid parts soon became part of the tornado. After a considerable amount of time, Ruby turned to a standstill, Stabby's body parts flying towards the wall where they shattered into even smaller fragments.

"Now that...was...awesome..." Ruby managed to say between breaths as she nearly stumbled forward in exhaustion. Weiss immediately caught her as Ruby came close to passing out, slumping over Weiss and nearly knocking her over.

"Promise me you won't do that again." Weiss demanded as she shoved Ruby off her, who nearly collapsed yet again.

"Sorry..." Ruby nervously chuckled as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Hey! A little help over here would be nice!" Yang shouted as she continued to do battled with Snipes. Ruby and Weiss rushed towards their team-mates as the two huntresses continued to battle.

Whilst the switch had benefited Blake greatly, who was nearly finished with Hammer-Bro, the change had been less then beneficial for Yang who was struggling to keep up with the far faster Snipes. So far, Snipes had managed to parry or dodge most of Yang's strikes, even getting a few of its own on her. As Yang swung at Snipes, the Droid not only dodged the blow, but also managed to lock its staff behind her back and between her right arm, effectively trapping her. It then delivered a head-but to the blonde brawler, releasing its lock at the same time, causing her to stumble and fall over.

She immediately recovered, her eyes glowing red with rage as she charged the Droid. Snipes immediately swung its Staff in an upwards arc, dragging Yangs fists to the floor before it followed through with an uppercut with the Staff, sending Yang flying into Blake as she prepared to deliver a finishing blow onto Hammer-Bro. Snipes then shifted the weapon into its Sniper form as it took aim at the downed Yang. Almost immediately, a round fired into the weapon, causing the shot to hit the floor instead. Snipes turned to see Ruby holding _Crescent Rose_ , smoke pouring out the barrel as Weiss stood by her side, _Myrtenaster_ at the ready.

"Over here you bag of rust!" Ruby shouted, taunting the Droid as she spoke.

Snipes would not be deterred however, and shifted the weapon from its Sniper form into its Staff form, ready to finish Yang off. Yang jumped at the opportunity and charged forward with equal vigour as Blake resumed her battle with Hammer-Bro, who was now fighting with renewed energy.

"Help Yang, I've got Blake's back!" Ruby ordered as she took aim at the hammer wielding Droid, to which Weiss happily obliged, dashing forward to do battle with Snipes.

Ruby took aim at Hammer-Bro and fired a shot at the Droids leg, crippling it immediately. With a quick swing, Blake was quick to decapitate the Droid, its head bouncing along the floor as sparks pulsed out of its neck. Blake and Ruby then turned their attention to Yang and Weiss, to see how their fight was progressing.

Yang and Snipes were interlocked with one another, both hands grasped on the Staff as neither one made an attempt to move in fear of losing their footing, resorting to using their upper body strength instead. Weiss placed a fire glyph behind Snipes, which Yang was quick to spot. She dragged the Staff to the right, causing Snipes to twist awkwardly in the direction of the tug, readjusting its footing to accommodate for the unnatural turn. Yang used this as her chance and then forced the Staff upwards, the butt of the weapon hitting Snipes in the chin and causing it to lose both its grip on the Staff and its footing as it stumbled into Weiss' fire glyph. Upon stepping on the glyph, it detonated in a torrent of flame, causing Snipes to fly back towards Yang, who swung the Staff like a bat, causing the Droid to spin uncontrollably towards Ruby, who with a single swipe, severed the Droid in two, finally defeating it.

" _Round over, Team RWBY wins!"_ the disembodied voice announced, causing Team JNPR to applaud their friends, who simply cheered in response to their victory.

"Nice work, a little rusty, but I'm sure you'll be better by the Tournament." Pyrrha said, nodding her head as she spoke.

"It would have been better with MORE EXPLOSIONS!" Nora shouted, flailing her arms wildly as Ren simply sighed and shook his head.

"You think you can do better?" Yang asked, a smirk appearing on her face.

"YES!" Nora shouted before even Jaune could respond.

"All right then, here's how it's going to go down." Yang said as she crossed her arms. "Whoever beats the Droids in the faster time, wins. The losing team then has to do the winning teams Homework for a week, deal?"

Team JNPR discussed amongst one another for a few seconds before Jaune stepped forward, coughing into his hand before speaking.

"All right, you have a deal!" Jaune announced, his confident composure a stark contrast to how he was actually feeling, which was absolutely terrified.

"Great, how long did we take?" Ruby asked, tilting her head slightly as she spoke.

"Lets see..." Pyrrha responded as she swiped some commands on the control panel before them. "...five minutes and seven seconds." Pyrrha finally announced, a confident grin on her face.

"Okay then, let's do this!" Ruby shouted, jumping in the air slightly.

After a few minutes of switching, arming themselves and cleaning the arena floor, Team JNPR were ready. Yang pressed a few commands on the control panel as she let the system decide the rest.

" _Combat Droids, online!"_ the robotic voice repeated, as four new Droids entered the arena. The Droids were armed with a new set of armaments; one with a pair of Pata that doubled as a wrist mounted Shotgun, another with a Warglaive that seemed to double as a Bow, another with a Cutlass that doubled as a Sub-Machine Gun and the last with a Spear that doubled as a Flintlock Rifle.

" _Difficulty level set to-Medium!"_ the voice announced as both teams readied themselves for battle. _"Match beginning in...5...4...3..."_

Jaune and Pyrrha readied themselves as they raised their shields in defence. Nora swung _Magnhild_ wildly as a mischievous grin spread across her face whilst Ren simply stood still, blocking out all other distractions around him.

" _...2...1...Begin!"_

Team JNPR charged at the Droids, who charged forward as well, raising their weapons in defence. Team JNPR swung their weapons at the Droids, who jumped back in unison and...just stood still. Team JNPR looked in confusion at the Droids, who merely stood still, not making a move to either attack or defend. Yang looked in confusion at the control panel, the device not responding to her commands.

"What the..." Yang quietly said, attempting to reset the control panel, but to no avail.

Almost immediately, a loud buzzing noise emanated from one of the many loudspeakers throughout the school.

"Attention, will all students please make their way to the Great Hall immediately!" Glynda Goodwitch's voice announced over the loudspeakers before turning silent.

"That's weird, wonder what it's about?" Ruby asked, raising an eyebrow as she and the rest of her team along side JNPR made their way to the Great Hall.

"Dunno, maybe it's about the Tournament? You know, reminding us of the rules and what not." Yang suggested, shrugging her shoulders as she spoke.

"Maybe, or maybe it's to do with those murders." Blake countered, turning to face Yang as she spoke. "Reminding us to stay safe."

Yang merely grunted in response as both teams entered the Great Hall. Nearly every single student was present in the Hall; first years, second years, third years, even those from the other Huntsman Academies were present. All students mumbled amongst one another as they awaited for whatever the announcement was. All eyes turned towards the main stadium as the sound of footsteps echoed across the room. Ozpin made his way towards the front of the stage, walking stick in hand, as he approached the microphone that had been placed there earlier. Even from the back of the room, RWBY and JNPR could tell there was a hidden sadness in his face. The student deaths had certainly hit him hard, especially considering that they were his charge to protect.

"Students, thank you all for coming on such short notice." Ozpin announced, pushing his glasses up back onto the bridge of his nose. "As I am sure all of you are aware, the Vytal Festival is just on the horizon and with it, the Tournament." Ozpin paused for a second to let the news settle in as multiple students began cheering. "However, a very serious threat has made it's presence known. I'm sure you have all heard the stories of this 'Vale Reaper' and the chaos he has sown."

"Guess Blake was right, it was about the murderer." Ruby whispered before Weiss sent a glare at her, telling her to be quiet as Ozpin continued his speech.

"It is for this reason, that with great regret, that the ruling council have decided to postpone the Tournament, until this mad-man has been caught!"

The uproar was immediate. The assembled students were wrought with confusion, disappointment and most prominently, anger. Many booed and jeered as Ozpin made his way back to his office, with other students simply leaving the Hall as they grumbled to themselves.

"Wow...that was...unexpected." Yang managed to say, having come over the initial shock of the announcement.

"I can't believe this! The Tournament cancelled?! Why this hasn't happened since...forever!" Weiss shrieked, waving her arms around erratically.

"I guess it's for our safety more than anything." Pyrrha theorised, having come over the initial shock faster than the rest of her friends.

Ruby nodded in agreement as she turned to see what Blake's opinion on it all was, only to see that the faunus hadn't even moved, her face furrowed in concern.

"Blake? You okay?" Ruby asked as she walked up to her team-mate, waving her hands in front of her face, seemingly snapping Blake out of whatever trance she was in.

"I'm sorry, I was just...thinking." Blake replied, blinking rapidly as she brought herself back to reality.

"Is something wrong?" Jaune asked, tilting his head to the side as he spoke.

"It's just...this all seems suspicious. Like a coincidence." Blake replied as she walked with her friends back to their respective dorms.

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked, having come over her rage from earlier.

"I think the White Fang might be involved with the murders." Blake announced, confusing everyone present.

"That's a big jump from one individual to an entire organisation." Ren replied, the others nodding in agreement.

"We never thought the White Fang would work for a racist like Torchwick, but we were wrong about that as well." Blake retorted, causing everyone to consider the unusual partnership. "Besides, it isn't unnatural for a skilled lone operative to carry out missions meant for a large squad."

"That...does make sense I suppose..." Ren replied, having failed to account for lone wolf operatives.

"Whoever it is, I'm going to find out just who it is." Blake said, turning to enter Team RWBY's dorm, only for Yang to grab her arm.

"Hey, you're not doing this on your own. We got your back!" Yang stated, a grin appearing on her face as Ruby and Weiss nodded in agreement.

"You can count on us too!" Jaune also said, giving a thumbs up as Pyrrha and Ren nodded.

"We'll break his legs!" Nora shouted as she jumped around wildly. Blake smiled and nodded in acknowledgement of her friends volunteering.

"Regardless of who it is, we should look into his victims first. Get an idea of what his pattern is." Ren stated, choosing the more logical action.

"Agreed, we'll start tomorrow before first lessons." Blake said, receiving a large amount of approving nods.

With the decision out of the way, Team RWBY and JNPR entered their respective dorms as they planned for their investigation tomorrow.

"Whoever it is," Yang said as she cracked her knuckles before continuing. "I bet they didn't count on us!"

 **00000000**

 **Down-town Vale…**

Reaper waited in the shadows as he watched the hunter team bicker amongst themselves over the Vytal Tournament cancellation.

'Everything is going according to plan…' Reaper thought to himself, the sadistic grin on his face hidden by his mask. He continued to watch as the team planned amongst themselves, hiding from the busy streets of Vale in an abandoned Warehouse as they seemed to formulate a plan on catching him.

'What fools they must be, if they think they can stand against me.' Reaper thought, his hand reaching for one of his trademark shotgun's attached to his waist. It was similar in design to his old weapon, _Hellfire's Wrath_ , yet the weapon was faster, stronger and cruder than before. Now known as _Death's Vice_ , his new weapon's were his signature weapon. Unfortunately, the weapons were loud enough for everyone outside to hear. But it made little difference, he would just have to get his hands dirtier than usual this time.

The Tournament was cancelled, that much was clear, and would not continue until he was caught. The murders would continue and soon that fool Ozpin would enact a curfew, in order to keep the students 'safe'. Then, it would be like shooting fish in a barrel. He cracked his knuckles as he rose from his hiding place, readying himself for the coming massacre.

"Your legacy will soon be dead Ozpin! All that you have dedicated your life to will be destroyed! This I vow!" Reaper whispered as he braced himself for a jump.

"But until then, time to reap!" Reaper finally said, as he jumped down from his hiding place, black mist erupting around him as he glided to the centre of the group…

 **00000000**

 **Hope you liked that chapter. But why does the Reaper hate Ozpin so much? You'll find out soon. And when I say soon, I mean Blizzard soon. If you liked the chapter, feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is always welcome. Any question? Either leave in a review or PM me.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	4. Analysis

**Why hello again my faithful viewers, another chapter of Reap What You Sow has arrived. No questions that I can answer without giving too much away, but I do have an announcement to make though. There will not be an update on any of my stories next week. The reason for this is because it's Christmas so I'll be spending time with my family during the weekend I would usually update. If I can, I will try and update some point during the week though the chances of me doing that are very low. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 4-Analysis**

Team RWBY ventured through the hallways as quietly as they could. It was ridiculously early in the morning with very few teachers up and about and even fewer students. Those that were up were usually just in the mess hall hoping to get the best food first or studying in the library. RWBY were making their way to the library to meet with JNPR so they could start their investigation on the 'Vale Reaper'. Upon entering the library, they were surprised by how few students were actually present. In fact, apart from one or two teams, they were the only ones in there.

"Where is everyone?" Yang whispered as she and the rest of her friends made their way to meet with JNPR.

"No idea, the cancellation of the Tournament has probably disheartened a few of them." Weiss quietly replied, earning a few nods of agreement from her friends. Weiss herself was still upset about the Tournament, though she knew the only way for it to re-open was to find this killer and catch him. Or her for that matter.

Eventually they found JNPR in the back corner of the library, a place that was out of sight and very inconspicuous for them to carry out their investigation.

"What took you guys so long?" Jaune asked, his right eyebrow raised in slight confusion as the rest of his team crowded around a computer that let out an almost eerie green glow.

"Sorry, Yang overslept." Ruby replied, earning an annoyed look from Yang.

"I told you that if I overslept to wake me up!" Yang quickly countered.

"Yeah but the last time we did that you punched us in the face." Ruby quickly retorted, earning a sheepish chuckle from Yang.

"Any way, we're here now. What have you found out?" Weiss quickly asked, hoping to get to the bottom of the investigation sooner rather than later.

"We accessed the school database and we decided to wait for you before beginning." Pyrrha replied, gesturing to the computer screen in front of them which was lit up with the names of all students from the separate Academies.

"Well we're here now, lets get to it." Blake said, earning a nod from Ren who began scrolling through the various names on the database.

"First up; Team MNTS. This was the first team that was murdered, originally thought to be a Grimm hunt gone wrong." Ren explained as he filed through the members of the deceased Hunter team. "The team consisted of Maurice Thornwood, Nathan Dusk, Tiffany Brightsong and Samael Ashthorn."

"Anything of particular interest about them?" Blake asked as she leaned closer to the screen.

"Not really, no. The team was well respected by both humans and faunus so extremists from both sides probably wouldn't have targeted them." Ren replied as he brought up profiles of the former Hunter's in training.

"Not necessarily." Blake countered as she brought her hand to her chin. "While the White Fang have no qualms with killing humans regardless of their views, they will reluctantly harm faunus if they try and intervene with their plans."

The other members of Team RWBY nodded in agreement. While most of them had no real problem with faunus, the White Fang had nonetheless had no qualms about harming them. Team JNPR decided it was probably best to agree with their friends, considering their experience with the White Fang.

"Moving on then." Jaune said as Ren continued to scroll through the database until they found the next deceased team.

"Team ARKN, the second team to be killed. This was the one that got the attention of the VPD." Ren continued as he scrolled through the multiple names of the now dead team. "Consisted of Andrew Horris, Ryan Belvir, Katherine Fawk and Naomi Neotan. This team was extremely racist so if it is White Fang, they would be viable targets."

The others nodded in agreement at the statement before Ren continued to scroll through the files until he found the third victims.

"Team NCRS, the third team to be killed. Consisted of Nick Walters, Chris Rupert, Rebecca Draug and Samson Jones." Ren said as his eyes scrolled through the separate profiles of the hunter team, his eyes widening as he finished reading it. "This team were...all faunus..."

"What?" Blake asked as she read the file herself, hoping that Ren had perhaps misread it. But the answer remained the same, all of Team NCRS were faunus...and proud ones at that.

"So this means it can't be White Fang then..." Yang summarised, earning a few nods of agreement from all present.

"Regardless of whether it's White Fang or not, we still need to find out who's responsible." Blake finally said after a brief silence. The rest of her friends nodded in agreement as they began to continue their search of all the deceased teams.

They searched for nearly an hour on the deceased teams, all of which contained either human or faunus.

"This is getting us nowhere!" Ruby finally said as she slumped onto the desk, clearly drained.

"Agreed. This person, whoever they are, clearly works for no one but themselves if their indiscriminate killing is anything to go by." Weiss concluded, earning a few grunts of agreement from the others gathered.

"I don't think it's indiscriminate at all..." Jaune countered as he leaned closer to the computer screen.

"Oh..." Weiss murmured as she looked at Jaune, slightly confused by what he meant.

"Look at what Academy they went to." Jaune said as he pointed to the screen, causing all of them to follow his hand. It didn't take them long to discover what Jaune was referring to.

"They're all Beacon students..." Pyrrha quietly said, causing Jaune to nod in agreement.

"But why Beacon students?" Ruby asked, raising her eyebrow in confusion.

"No idea, maybe it's some psychopath who has a grudge against the school?" Yang theorised, though she was unclear herself.

"Maybe," Weiss replied, pausing slightly to gather her thoughts. "Or maybe it's-"

Weiss was interrupted by a loud dinging noise that echoed throughout the library and the rest of the school, gaining nearly everyone's attention.

" _Classes will begin in 10 minutes! Will all students please report to their respective classes!"_ an automated voice announced, becoming silent almost immediately after.

"Crap! It's almost 8 o'clock guys!" Yang quickly said as she pointed at the time on the computer screen which clearly stated '07:50'.

"We should get going, we all know how early Oobleck likes to start his lessons!" Pyrrha stated, causing the two teams to quickly make a mad dash for the exit.

 **00000000**

"Any idea why Cinder wants us?" Emerald asked as she leaned back on the wall, turning to face Mercury who was lying down on one of the beds in the dorm they currently occupied.

"No idea, probably pissed about the whole 'Tournament' being cancelled." Mercury replied, barely even shifting his gaze as he spoke. Eventually he turned to face the other occupant in the room, Neopolitan, who was currently disguised to avoid any unwanted attention. "You have any idea what this is about?"

The silent assassin merely shrugged, the ever present confident smile never disappearing from her face.

"Well whatever it is, it can't be good..." Emerald stated, earning a grunt from Mercury.

"Don't be so sure Emerald." a new voice announced, causing all in the room to turn to the direction of the voice.

There Cinder stood, wearing what would have been her Tournament disguise, a malicious smile on her face that promised only misery.

"Cinder!" Emerald said, nearly jumping up in surprise as Cinder casually strolled into the room. "We were just-"

Emerald fell silent as Cinder calmly raised her hand, signalling her to be quiet before speaking herself.

"As I am sure you are all aware, the Vytal Tournament was vital to our plans. However, with its cancellation thanks to our 'friend', everything has been thrown into chaos."

"You think it's one of ours?" Mercury asked, changing into a sitting position as he leaned forward slightly.

"No, I checked with Adam and he claims that this 'Reaper' is not with the White Fang." Cinder replied, turning to face the window in the dorm. "While I applaud their 'enthusiasm', he's ruining years of work."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Emerald asked, shrugging her shoulders as she turned to face Cinder.

Cinder turned to face the group, an even more sinister smile on her face than before.

"Why it's simple, Emerald. We find them...and then we kill them."

 **00000000**

Soldier 76 sighed as he removed yet another tape from the terminal. Corrupted, like the others. He tossed the tape into a nearby pile, alongside all the other tapes he had gathered. Whoever this 'Vale Reaper' was, he knew how to cover his tracks well. He rubbed his forehead as he chose instead to take a look through one of the many reports he had gathered.

Usually they were all the same, dead trainee hunters all brutally slaughtered. But this one was different, in this case, there was a survivor. While they did unfortunately die from their injuries before they could give a proper description of their attacker, they did give some information. They talked of a black robed man, who seemed to appear as a black shadow, ghosting unscathed through their attacks. They also spoke of something rather...distressing. Those that he killed appeared to enter a state of 'decomposition', their cells rapidly degenerating from some unknown cause though it was believed to have some connection to the 'Vale Reaper'.

Almost immediately, his radio lit up to life, startling him and causing him to drop the report in his hands. He silently cursed before he straightened the report and placed it to one side, his other hand reaching for the radio. As he picked up the small device he began tampering with it, hoping to find the right signal. He used the radio to listen in on Police broadcasts in an attempt to gain a head-start in his investigations. As he continued to fiddle with the device, he found what he was searching for.

" _All squadrons report to Fishmonger Warehouse in Downtown Precinct immediately! The Reaper's struck again!"_

 **00000000**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter. As always, feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcome. Any questions? Feel free to leave in your review or PM me.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	5. How to: Infiltrate

**Hello there my faithful readers, after an eternity away from you all (2 weeks actually) Raging Archon is back! I hope you all enjoyed the Christmas break as much as I did and are enjoying the new year. Just a shout-out to OutlastTheDark who wrote a one-shot set in the 'Reap What You Sow' AU. The story is called 'Regret' and if you enjoy this story then I can guarantee you'll enjoy his. Question time now, first up OutlastTheDark: yes the 'Vale Reaper' has been a very busy bee. And lastly from rubberduck248: Sorry, but I can't really answer that question without giving too much away. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 5- How to: Infiltrate**

Downtown Vale could be described with just a few words; peaceful, calm, bustling, serene and industrious. Today, only one word can describe it;

Chaotic.

The 'Vale Reaper' had struck yet again, this time in the heart of the bustling metropolis. The VPD had already isolated the area the crime took place in, but the crowds of citizens gathered around made their attempts seem fruitless. Already journalists and news anchors were swarming the area like flies on a carcass, giving off their own version of the story and who the 'Reaper' is. For anyone of those gathered, it was a job that no-one wanted to stomach. For Detective Sergeant Richard Valentine, it was just another day in the office.

Valentine looked on in the warehouse where the Huntsman in training had been murdered. This was sickening, even for the 'Vale Reaper'. Not only had the 'Vale Reaper' killed them in broad daylight with an entire active city outside, but had done so with his bare hands. That much was evident by the lack of spent shells and the nature of the wounds the victim's gained.

Valentine sighed as he lifted his sunglasses up slightly and pinched the bridge of his nose. He hadn't seen this much chaos in Vale since that Junkrat and Roadhog duo came riding into town. They never caught those bastards, they were Vacuo's problem now for all he cared. He began to search his pockets for his ever present pack of cigarettes and lighter, his hands fumbling in each and everyone of his pockets.

Eventually, he pulled the packet out of his back pocket, cursing when he saw there was only one left. He would have to go to a local shop to get some more after he was done. As he lit the cigarette, he took a well earned puff of the tobacco infused stick, coughing slightly as he puffed the smoke out.

"You know, smoking is bad for you..." a voice announced itself, causing Valentine to quickly turn to its source.

Out from the shadows of the warehouse, a man casually walked out, flanked by two others. He wore a clean white overcoat with a grey undercoat and red tie whilst a white glove was on his right hand. Typical Atlesian clothing. His usually black cropped hair had grey tints on either side of his head whilst a metal plate of some-sort rested above his right eyebrow. Valentine took into account the man's associates, a pair of Atlesian Knight-200 units, each carrying a Multi-Action-Dust-Rifle.

"Good to see you too Ironwood." Valentine replied, casually waving off the Atlesian General. Ironwood held his fist up and the two Knights saluted before making their way out of the building, leaving the General and Detective Sergeant alone with the forensic team.

"I appreciate your willingness to cooperate with our forces," Ironwood said, earning only a grunt of acknowledgement from Valentine in return. "If I may enquire, what do we know so far."

"Not much I'm afraid." Valentine admitted, dropping his cigarette on the floor and stomping it out with his boot. "All we know is this 'Vale Reaper' is targeting Beacon Students, nothing else. No system or anything, if he can get his hands on them, he'll kill 'em."

"The 'Vale Reaper'? Are you really using the name given by the press?" Ironwood questioned, raising an eyebrow as he spoke.

"So what, it's catchy." Valentine shrugged as he signed off a piece of paper work given by one of the forensic scientists present before passing the clipboard to Ironwood. "You'll need to sign this if you want to get any closer."

Ironwood was quick to sign the paper work and handed it back to the scientists who proceeded to allow them entry.

"Just out of curiosity, why do you care about this 'Vale Reaper' case?" Valentine questioned, turning to face the General. Truth be told, this was not the first time a crime had been committed with a foreign military power present. What was so different about this case?

"The 'Vale Reaper' is targeting Huntsman and Huntresses in training. Without them, we have no sure way to combat the Grimm." Ironwood replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Correction, he's targeting Beacon students, not any of your military conscripts." Valentine stated, causing the General to stiffen slightly.

It was common knowledge that Huntsman and Huntresses held no allegiance to any one nation, though the academy based in Atlas was infamous for pressuring their students to join the military.

"Nonetheless, the Huntsman and Huntresses offer comfort to the people of Vale that no military power can provide." Ironwood replied, quickly recovering from Valentines statement. "And if someone starts bumping off those trainees, that will spread fear. And fear will bring the Grimm clawing at our walls."

Valentine merely nodded in response to Ironwood's statement. Fear would bring the Grimm, and with the Vytal Festival bringing many to Vale, it was in everyone's best interest to keep fear down as much as possible. Valentine then gestured to the crime scene before the two, which Ironwood went to investigate immediately.

"Who were they?" Ironwood asked as he knelt before the body of a young Huntsman who's eyes had been gouged out and his neck broken. The worst part was that his death was the least brutal of the four.

"Team LYON, like the others he was from Beacon." Valentine replied as he sighed and knelt next to the body. "They were good kids. Kind, thoughtful, didn't care who you were or where you came from."

"Who could do something like this?" Ironwood asked, rising up as he spoke.

"Question ain't who, more like what." one of the forensic scientists stated, typing up a report on her scroll.

"What do you mean?" Ironwood asked as the scientist looked up from her scroll with her eyebrows raised slightly.

"You taken a look at them recently? Last I checked, young kids don't look like rotten corpses." the scientist stated, pointing at the body.

Ironwood looked over the body again and was disgusted at what he saw. The scene itself was gruesome enough with the gouged out eyes and snapped neck, but the fact the body appeared to have been drained of all its life made it all the more horrifying. They did in fact look like a rotten corpse.

"How..." Ironwood stammered. He couldn't even find the right words in his mouth he was that confused.

"Cellular degradation at a rapid rate. Don't know how it did it, we just know it did." The scientist replied, shrugging her shoulders before leaving the crime scene herself.

"I'm beginning to understand why you agreed to my offer of help Sergeant..." Ironwood whispered, causing Valentine to chuckle slightly in response. "Any suspects worth investigating?"

Valentine sighed as he removed his sunglasses and shook his head slightly.

"Apart from the cellular crap, I've only seen one other person capable of something like this..."

 **00000000**

Both teams RWBY and JNPR rushed forward to Downtown Vale. Under normal circumstances, it would be a nightmare to navigate their way but the large crowds made it all the more easier. They had just finished classes when news spread that yet another murder had occurred, this time Team LYON. Seeing as they were investigating the actions of the murderer, they made it a top priority to investigate. By the time they had arrived, police had already isolated the area, as well as bringing some unexpected guests.

"Atlas Military? What are they doing here?" Ruby asked as she watched a pair of Atlesian soldiers carry a crate filled with what appeared to be forensic equipment.

"I...don't know." Weiss admitted. Usually when it came to all things Atlas she knew just about anything. At best she would say they were aiding in the investigation but for what reason she couldn't say.

"Regardless, we have to get inside that building. No doubt a building like this would have a stable security feed." Blake stated as her friends turned to face her. "If we can get a copy of it, we have our first real chance of identifying our killer."

"True as that may be, how do you intend to get inside?" Pyrrha asked, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "It would be hard enough to get inside with just the VPD securing the area, never mind the Atlas Military joining them."

"Don't worry, I have an idea." Ruby announced, causing everyone to turn and face her. "And I'm looking right at it!"

"Oh? What is it?" Weiss asked. It took her a few seconds to realise that Ruby's mischievous grin was directed at her. "You have got to be kidding me..."

 **00000000**

Cinder overlooked the crime scene from afar, away from harmful eyes and ears. She turned to Neopolitan who was wearing a cloak and hood that hid the upper half of her face in shadows, which served only to make her smile all the more sinister.

"You know the mission, find and gather whatever Intel you can on our dear friend." Cinder said, causing Neopolitan to grin and nod her head. As she turned to leave, Cinder grasped her arm and forced Neopolitan to turn and face her. "Remember to keep a low profile. Avoid direct conflict and engage ONLY if necessary! We don't want to attract any unwanted attention..."

Neopolitan sighed and nodded in response before disappearing in a flash of light. Cinder watched as the VPD and Atlesian Military continued to secure the area. The fools wouldn't notice they were here until it was too late. Suddenly, a flash of blue and white caught her attention. She turned suddenly at the movement, but saw nothing but shadows. She shook her head and told herself it was nothing. Yet despite her best attempts, she didn't believe a word of it.

 **00000000**

"Okay, so why am I doing this again?" Weiss asked as Ruby finished explaining the plan to the others present.

"You're doing it so we have a distraction so that-"

"I understand what the purpose of the plan is," Weiss said, interrupting Ruby. "I just want to know why I am the one distracting them? Why not Blake or Yang?"

"Because Blake is the only one who has sufficient skill in infiltrating places like this." Ruby replied, gesturing to the building behind them. "And no-one would believe it if Yang did it, she's way to tough. Same with Pyrrha."

"Well if that's the case why not Jaune?" Weiss complained, gesturing to said blonde knight.

"Hey!" Jaune complained as he overheard the conversation.

"True, but no-one would feel as inclined to help him if it was him instead." Ruby retorted, earning a downhearted grunt from Jaune.

"Well what about Nora or Ren?" Weiss asked. Ruby simply stared at Weiss in response. "Well now that I think about it...what about you though?!"

"It's my idea." Ruby beamed happily causing Weiss to sigh and pinch the bridge of her nose slightly.

"That doesn't mean...you know what, I give up." Weiss finally said, raising her hands slightly as she shook her head and walked into the mass of people gathered around.

Weiss sighed and swallowed whatever pride she had left. If Blake wanted any chance of sneaking in, they needed a distraction. And fate just so happened to deem her that distraction. It was going to be on the news and everything!

Weiss pushed her way through the gathered people. Some of them she recognised as fellow huntsman and huntresses, both student and graduated whilst others were simple citizens and reporters. She pushed herself to the front of the crowd until all that separated her from the crime scene was a strand of yellow tape and a blockade of officers and soldiers.

"Back away ma'am, that's as close as you get." One of the officers warned, making a pushing motion with his hands.

Weiss obliged and took a step back as the officer instructed, earning a nod of approval from the officer. Weiss looked around for any sign of Blake, spotting her friend on the far side of the crowd. The faunus nodded ever so slightly if Weiss hadn't been looking for it she would have missed it. Weiss let out a soft sigh and prepared for her distraction.

Weiss closed her eyes and lifted her hand to her forehead and began to stagger about, groaning slightly.

"Ma'am? Are you okay?" an officer asked, a concerned look in his eyes.

"No," Weiss softly replied, doing her best 'damsel in distress' impression. "All of a sudden I feel..."

Weiss let herself fall forward as she tumbled to the ground, the officer in front only just managing to catch her in time. A collected gasp was heard all around as the crowd turned their attention away from the crime scene for the first time today.

"We need a medic here!" one of the soldiers shouted as all eyes turned towards the heiress as the officer who caught her laid her in a recovery position.

Weiss slowly let her eyes open slightly as military boots crowded around her.

"What...happened?" Weiss asked. Of course she knew what the real answer was, she just embarrassed herself in public.

"You fainted, do you require any medical attention? We'd be more than willing to call an ambulance." one of the officers asked, holding his hand out for the heiress to grab.

Weiss looked around, her eyes catching a black blur entering the building. Thank goodness for that.

"No...I just felt a little faint that's all." Weiss replied, a gracious smile on her face as she clasped onto the officers hand and allowed herself to be lifted up. Gradually, the crowd returned their focus onto the crime scene as Weiss pushed her way through the crowd with little to no effort. As the crowd turned their back to her, Weiss let her smile turn to a hate filled gaze as she made her way to Ruby and Yang, who were biting their lips in an attempt to contain their laughter.

"Not another word..." Weiss warned as she turned to walk away, Ruby and Yangs laughter echoing behind her.

 **00000000**

Blake swiftly made her way through the warehouse, passing through like a shadow, the multiple soldiers and officers never even noticing her presence. A part of her wanted to stay and watch Weiss' 'dramatic performance'. That same part also reminded her she could probably catch it on MeTube later that day.

She made her way to the offices where the need for stealth was less of a requirement and more of a guideline. The VPD hadn't swept this area yet, which meant any video footage would still be there. She made her way forward, searching for any sign of a security room. Her eyes glanced at each and everyone of the doors she passed. Maintenance, Welfare, Main Offices...Security.

Blake stopped at the filthy set of blue double doors that led to what would have been the security room when the building was in its prime. The sign on the front of the door that used to say 'Security Personnel Only' was covered in rust and god knows what else. Blake went to open the door and download whatever files she could...but stopped.

Something wasn't right, she could feel it. She looked at the bottom of the door and saw a clean arc in the front of the door along with a faint blue light shining through the door. Someone was already here.

She heard the sound of wind rustling behind her and turned, Gambol Shroud at the ready. Out of the shadows, a short cloaked figure walked into the light, a parasol resting on her shoulders. She couldn't see their face but something seemed...familiar about her.

"Do I know you?" Blake asked as the figure before her tilted their head slightly before shaking it. "What are you doing here?" Blake enquired. The hooded figure only smiled as she held the parasol out in a fighting stance.

Before either could engage, the doors swung open causing both combatants to turn and face the new combatant.

They wore a white and blue leather jacket with black military trousers, a loaded pistol holstered on his right hip. A pair of red armoured gauntlets protected each hand whilst a strange mask protected his face as well as hiding his identity. They were also noticeably bulkier and taller than the two women and if his white hair was any indication, a lot older too. Strapped to his back was a rifle of some form, with what appeared to be a blade of some form attached below the barrel. The new figure stared at the two women before sighing.

"You gotta be kidding me..." the man simply said, shaking his head as he spoke. That was when he noticed the two women's attention was turned to the device in his left hand, the data chip containing video footage of the 'Vale Reaper'. "Don't even think about it..." the man warned, his right hand slowly reaching for his pistol.

Before he could properly react, Neopolitan delivered a roundhouse kick to the man's hand, sending the chip flying in the air before kicking him in the chest, sending him sprawling into the dirt. Blake rolled forward as Neopolitan swung in a wide arc with her parasol and delivered a swipe of her own, only for her blade to shatter a mirror image as the real Neopolitan delivered a high kick to her back, catching the data chip seconds later.

Before she could teleport however, a strong hand gripped her shoulder and spun her around, where the man then sent a right hook at her head, the fist impacting her jaw and causing her to stumble and drop the chip on the floor. Blake slid between the two combatants and grabbed the chip and turned to run, only for a disgruntled Neopolitan to appear before her and bash her back with her parasol, causing her to slip on the grubby floor, the data chip flying from her hand.

Before Blake could stand, Neopolitan planted her foot on her chest and used it as leverage to grab the chip. As the chip descended ever closer into Neopolitan's waiting hand, the man tackled her where he proceeded to head-but her as the chip fell on top of Blake.

The man turned and went to lunge for the now rising Blake, but fell to the floor as Neopolitan hooked his ankle on the handle of the parasol. The man delivered a quick kick to Neopolitan's head and stood and charged Blake. The man threw a right hook towards Blake which was parried, but sent both Gambol Shroud and the data chip flying from her hand. Blake delivered a roundhouse kick to the man's head which he ducked and delivered a roundhouse kick himself which Blake also ducked.

As the two grappled with one another, Blake kneed him in his groin, causing the man to let out a pained grunt before head-butting him. As the man staggered back, Blake drew a deep breath as she lifted her hand to her forehead as she felt blood run down. Before she could retrieve either Gambol Shroud or the data chip, Neopolitan appeared before her and kicked her in the throat, causing her to choke and stumble to the floor before she lunged at the man with her parasol, knocking him to the ground.

With her knee planted on his chest, she drew a long thin blade from the parasol and forced the edge onto his neck, the man only just raising his hands quick enough to push back the blade. Blake stumbled around as she attempted to reach for Gambol Shroud, hoping to at least defend herself should the hooded figure turn her attention on her.

As the man struggled to keep the blade away, blue electricity began arcing off of his body. Neopolitan raised an eyebrow in confusion as the man began to push back with renewed vigour. Suddenly, a pulse emanated from his body, sending Neopolitan stumbling back. As she fell, the man grabbed her flailing leg and pulled her towards him, punching her with such force when her body hit the floor, the ground cracked.

Blake finally grabbed a hold of Gambol Shroud but was then shoulder barged by the man, the blue electricity still arcing around him. As Blake tumbled on the floor, the man grabbed the data chip on the floor and held it close to his chest as both Blake and Neopolitan rose from the floor, the stand-off beginning once again. While both Blake and Neopolitan were panting heavily, the battle having exhausted them, the man before them had yet to break a sweat. The victor was clear from the start, yet neither one of the women would surrender peacefully.

"What's that noise?"

"It came from here! Spread out!"

All three tensed at the noise and turned at the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. Neopolitan opened her parasol and teleported away, the man quickly disappearing into the shadows leaving Blake alone. She was quick to leave, traversing through a nearby ventilation shaft as VPD officers swarmed the corridor. Blake continued to crawl through the shaft until the light of the sun was in her eyes. She crawled through the opening and stumbled out onto the ground, taking sharp intakes of air as she stumbled into the shadows. She sighed as she made her way to the rendezvous point, where her friends were already waiting for her. Ruby was the first to notice her, and her eyes were filled with dread upon seeing her.

"Oh my god, Blake!" Ruby shouted as she rushed over to the faunus who stumbled into her arms. The others soon took note of Blake's condition and were filled with worry themselves.

"What happened in there?" Yang asked as she helped Blake sit on a nearby bench. Blake took deep intakes of air before she finally spoke.

"We're aren't the only ones investigating..."

 **00000000**

Cinder sighed as she awaited Neopolitan's return, tapping her foot on the stone floor as her patience drew thin. What was taking so long? It was a simple snatch and grab and she was dragging it out far too long for her comfort.

A pair of soldiers nearly recognised, no doubt they were on patrol at the transmit tower when she performed her infiltration mission, and they were beginning to get too close for comfort. Suddenly, she felt a gust of wind behind her and smiled. She turned, preparing to give Neopolitan the scolding of a lifetime but froze when she saw the usually smiling assassin panting and with a frightened look on her face...and blood staining her clothes that was clearly hers.

"What happened?" Cinder asked, clearly confused as to what caused the girl to be in such a state.

Neopolitan quickly explained in her own special way, causing Cinder to curse silently before bringing her scroll up, quickly calling Emerald.

" _Cinder, got the goods?"_ Emerald's voice asked, crackling due to the poor signal.

"No, there's been a wild card," Cinder quickly explained before continuing. "We're going to have to go for plan B..."

 **00000000**

Soldier 76 sighed as he sat on the chair in his hideout, wiping the blood of his mask. Poor girl, she was lucky she didn't get a concussion from the blow. The same couldn't be said for the hooded girl though, that bitch got exactly what she deserved.

He preferred not to kill innocents but there was something about those two he had seen in others he'd brought down. Both had killed in the past, the hooded girl admittedly more eager than the other girl, but it mattered little. Both would be brought to justice sooner or later. He had a bigger fish to fry right now.

He pulled the data chip out of his pocket, grateful it hadn't been damaged during the fight and plugged it into his scroll, the screen flickering to life immediately despite the large crack on its surface. As he finished downloading the files, he pressed play on the screen...only to find a face full of static.

"Dammit!" Soldier 76 cursed, slamming his fist on the floor. Corrupted, just like the others. However, the corruption was recent. Perhaps if he could safely remove it, he could retrieve the footage. And if not that, then perhaps trace it.

Unfortunately, he didn't know how to break the corruption codes. He was a soldier for a reason. Fortunately, he knew someone who could...and he knew just where to find him…

 **00000000**

 **If I am correct, this is the longest chapter I've written yet...GG me! As always, don't forget to review and constructive criticism is always welcome. Any questions? Either leave in your review or PM me and I'll answer in the next chapter if I can. It feels good to be back on schedule and I hope you enjoy the new year.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	6. Shadow of the Past

**Hey guys, another day another chapter. Nearly couldn't find the time to write this chapter but managed to get it out. Now it just occurred to me that I have made a royal cock up when it has come to Yang's weapons in...well, all my fics so far. I have been incorrectly referring to her weapons as _Ember Cilica_ when it should be _Ember Celica._ Yeah, made a complete ass of myself there didn't I. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 6- Shadow of the Past**

"So let me get this straight..." Weiss asked as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're saying that someone else who you didn't recognise was also on the same mission you were, and then a mysterious man appears and wipes the floor with both of you?"

"Pretty much." Blake replied, nursing the injury on her forehead. Truth be told, the wound was more of a scratch than a serious injury and her Aura would heal it in no time, but her friends had basically begged her to at least have it checked out.

"And you say they were both hostile?" Pyrrha asked, tilting her head slightly.

"The girl more than the man. If it had been just us two, I have a feeling he would have left me alone as long as I didn't engage." Blake confirmed, wincing slightly as she dabbed her wound with an ice pack.

"Well...did you recognise him at all?" Yang asked, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "Like was he from round here or see him on any posters at all?"

"No he...wore some type of mask." Blake replied, waving her hand in front of face to simulate the size of said mask.

"Any clothing or anything that was indistinguishable?" Weiss asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"No, his suit and weapon looked custom." Blake replied, shaking her head slightly. "But...on his back it looked like there was a massive '76' stitched on."

"Well that's not going to help at all!" Weiss stated matter of factly, throwing her arms up in the air in exasperation.

"Anything else?" Ruby asked, raising her eyebrow slightly.

"Not really, it looked like he had a scar that ran down the left side of his face, but it was impossible to tell between the mask and all the fighting." Blake replied.

"What about the girl?" Jaune asked, shrugging ever so slightly as he spoke.

"I know next to nothing about her. Her face was covered by a hood most of the time but she seemed familiar somehow..." Blake replied, narrowing her eyes slightly as she tried to think back to where she could have seen someone like that.

"Well...that doesn't really help." Yang said, shrugging slightly.

"But I do know this," Blake suddenly said, causing all to turn and face her. "That guy who attacked us, the way he fought was unlike anything I'd ever seen. I...I think he could have been a Huntsman."

"Umm...you sure didn't bang your head perhaps a little too hard?" Yang asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"No, his fighting style was unlike anything I'd ever seen!" Blake quickly replied, holding her hands out slightly. "It wasn't military based and besides, how many soldiers do you see utilising a Semblance?"

"Wait, he had a Semblance?" Jaune asked with his eyes widened. "Wh-what was it?"

"I'm not sure, it seemed like some sort of Adrenalin rush. His attacks were coming faster and harder the longer he remained in combat and electricity was arcing off all around him." Blake replied, thinking back to how the man literally broke the floor with what was basically a single punch.

"But if he was a Huntsman, what was with all the cloak and dagger?" Ruby asked, her eyes narrowing in confusion. "If he was meant to be there, the police surely would have just let him in! Wouldn't they?"

"If Atlas doesn't want a third party involved, not necessarily." Weiss replied quickly. "Besides, we don't know what the guy was even doing there."

"Where was he when the...confrontation occurred?" Ren asked. Truth be told, Blake had explained little about the fight. Mainly due to their questions but still.

"He was leaving the Security room." Blake replied, thinking nothing of it.

"Did he have anything with him?" Pyrrha asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"He had a data chip of some sort." Blake replied, tossing the now useless ice pack to the side. "What? You think it had something valuable inside?"

Pyrrha merely brought her hand to her mouth as she hummed loudly to herself before she finally spoke.

"Not to jump ahead of conclusions, but I think we might have our first suspect."

"That...would make some sense..." Weiss replied as she took everything into account. "He's extremely skilled in combat so it isn't hard to believe he's a Huntsman. Not to mention the killer is targeting Beacon students so he definitely fits the disgruntled former pupil theory."

"But why bother with the Security room business?" Jaune countered. "Seems like it would just be a waste of time, not to mention potentially allow him to get caught."

"If it weren't for his encounter with Blake and the mystery chick the guy probably would have been able to slip in and out with ease." Yang answered, causing Jaune to nod in agreement. "Anyway, best way to cover your tracks is to get rid of the evidence."

"We don't know anything about the guy, but we do know his Semblance. That will definitely be included in any student files in Beacon." Weiss continued, holding her finger up. "And something tells me that a Semblance like the one Blake described is pretty rare."

"Uh, hello!" Nora shouted, waving her arms around rapidly.

"You absorb electricity Nora. Judging from what Blake said, this guy just had it radiating off him." Ren replied, causing Nora to grumble to herself slightly. "I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't even real electricity..."

"Besides, I don't think he's the killer." Blake announced, causing the rest of her friends to look at her with shock.

"How can you say that?! All the evidence points at him!" Weiss asked, a look of confusion present on her face.

"We barely have any evidence and you're already pointing fingers!" Blake countered before sighing. "Besides, if he was the killer, let me ask you this."

The rest of her friends eagerly awaited her answer as Blake looked them all in the eye.

"Why would he let me live?"

 **00000000**

Valentine sighed as he stood in the debriefing room, the two officers with him labouring away at the holographic screens in front of them. The information was nothing new, same old bullshit as usual. Corrupted file this, corrupted file that. Any attempt to decrypt the data was met with the document quickly malfunctioning and all data being lost.

He turned slightly at the sound of the sliding doors behind him opening as General Ironwood entered the room.

"Your guys find anything?" Valentine asked, although deep down he already knew the answer.

"Nothing, not even a fabric of clothing or a drop of blood." Ironwood bitterly replied, causing Valentine to grunt to himself in amusement. "You mentioned back at the warehouse you had seen something like that before..."

"Something along those lines, yeah." Valentine replied. He had only been a rookie cop back then, but the memories still burned bright in his mind.

"What exactly were you on about?" Ironwood asked, causing Valentine to turn with an upraised eyebrow before he turned to one of the officers.

"Open case file 0.1952." Valentine ordered, causing the closest officer to look up and nod in response.

The officer pressed a few commands on his key-board as he began to skim through old cases, which only served to make Ironwood all the more curious. Finally, the officer opened one of the files. Immediately a case file popped up on the screen, along with a picture of what appeared to be a young Huntsman on the curb of manhood.

The man looked tall for his age with sharp features, tanned skin and small traces of hair forming the beginnings of a beard. A black bandanna covered the top of his head, though what little of his hair that could be seen suggested it had mostly been shaved off. He wore a grey hooded jacket with black armour protecting his chest and shoulders whilst black gloves covered his hands. A belt was strapped around his waist with multiple shotgun shells attached, but the most interesting feature was the buckle which was shaped like a skull. He also wore black leather trousers with his shins and feet being protected by chrome coloured greaves.

"Gabriel Reyes." Valentine said as he read over the case file. "Was a student at Beacon Academy, member of the team known as JAGR."

"What happened?" Ironwood asked as he overlooked the picture of the young Huntsman.

"Unknown, at some point after graduation he went rogue." Valentine admitted as he continued to scroll through the file.

"How so? I thought your Huntsman held no affiliation." Ironwood asked as the image swapped to what was now an image of Gabriel's weapons, a pair of shotguns that morphed into sabres.

"What I mean is that he and his partner just started attacking Beacon students at random!" Valentine replied as the image shifted to what could only be described as a massacre.

"Who was his partner?" Ironwood enquired as he stroked his chin gingerly.

"Amélie Lacroix, later known simply as 'Widowmaker'." Valentine replied as a picture of a woman came on screen. The woman had unnaturally pale skin and her black hair was tied in a ponytail. She wore a black and red leather suit with armour covering her legs, collar and left arm. In her hands was a strange black and red rifle that seemed to change from a Sniper to a normal Assault Rifle.

"What were their Semblances?" Ironwood asked as Valentine continued to scroll through the report.

"The 'Widowmaker' had heightened senses, she could hear and see things faster than anyone else, even faunus couldn't match her senses. And Reyes could teleport in and out of places faster than a bullet from a gun." Valentine quickly replied. "You can see why no bastards could ever catch them. She could tell him when we were getting too close for comfort and he could get them both to safety. They terrorised Vale for nearly two years before it ended."

"If these are our killers, then where have they been hiding all these years? Why come out now?" Ironwood asked. It was a fair question in his mind, which was why he was surprised when Valentine started laughing.

"These ain't the killer General." Valentine chuckled, causing Ironwood to narrow his eyes in confusion.

"How can you be so certain?" Ironwood asked. "It would make sense, and you did state the current victims reminded you of their victims."

"It can't be them, the simple reason being this." Valentine countered, scrolling to the very bottom of the report, which showed a picture of a weapons facility that had been blown up by...something. "Gabriel Reyes and the rest of Team JAGR died nearly twenty years ago."

 **00000000**

Soldier 76 wandered through the alleys of Vale, staying close to the shadows. According to his information, his 'associate' had set up shop in Vale's Old Town, aptly named due to the fact the oldest buildings were there, including many that had long since been abandoned. The sound of metal bins being knocked over behind him quickly caused him to turn with his weapon, _Helix Strike_ , at the ready in rifle mode.

Seconds later, a black and white cat came sprinting from the shadows, quickly rushing to the other side of the alleyway. Soldier 76 merely grunted before placing the rifle back on his back and continuing through the alley.

He continued walking through the labyrinth that was formed by the concrete jungle known as Old Town. He then turned a final corner, where before him was a building he'd never thought he would see again.

"You gotta be kidding me..." Soldier 76 muttered as he gazed at the building before him.

The building was large and back in the day, it most likely would have been a pristine white with shades of black and grey. It was circular with many other blocks coming off the building. Sadly, they too had gone into disrepair. A large tower like structure rose from the centre of the main roof, stretching high into the sky with a large circular room at the top.

As he walked forward, he stopped by a stone plinth that once held the name of the building, though the letters had long since been scrapped by scavengers. The only thing that remained was a dust covered symbol, a large circle with two diagonal lines coming off the bottom and joining in the centre.

Soldier 76 sighed as he patted the symbol lightly, walking past it and through the shattered glass doors.

The building looked worse inside then it did outside. Multiple wires hung from the ceiling whilst tiles were scattered across the floor. He walked through the building, his feet tapping loudly on the metal floor. So many memories were brought back as he wandered the halls. He remembered it when it was in its prime...students and teachers alike wandering the halls to attend class, both human and faunus casually talking with one another despite their differences, partners attending sparring matches to hone one another's skills, and-

The sound of metal clattering against the floor quickly brought him out of his trance as he turned. He slowly drew _Helix Strike_ , aiming the rifle down the corridor as he awaited whatever had made the noise to make it's presence known. Scavengers most likely, the building was basically a gold mine due to the abundance of unused technology that was left behind.

He continued to scan the corridor's until he noticed something very strange. It had gone dark all of a sudden. Looking down, he saw he was now in...someone's shadow. A very big shadow.

"Oh no..." Soldier 76 muttered as he felt the inevitable coming.

Without warning, Soldier 76 was sent flying forward by a powerful backhanded swing, _Helix Strike_ flying from his grip. He skidded uncontrollably for a while until he managed to turn and grind to a halt. He looked up to whatever had hit him and froze.

They were a faunus. A gorilla faunus to be specific. A very BIG gorilla faunus to be even more specific. They wore white armour that made them all the more imposing with a black under suit beneath it. A metal band was around their forehead whilst what appeared to be an Arc Gun of some form was attached to their back. Their face was twisted in an animalistic snarl whilst they fiddled with some black square glasses resting on their nose. Just the person he was looking for.

The figure let out a primal roar, bounding forward on all fours ready to tear 76 apart if need be.

"Winston!" Soldier 76 shouted, holding out his hands in defence.

Almost immediately, the faunus skidded to a halt as he heard his name. He stopped just mere inches away from 76 as he began to look at him in an inquisitive nature.

"Jack?" Winston asked, readjusting his glasses slightly as he continued to study 76.

"Not any more..." Soldier 76 quietly replied, lowering his hands slowly as he looked at the ground.

"It is you..." Winston said with a grin, laughing as the realisation hit him. "Where have you been? I thought you-"

"Long story..." Soldier 76 interrupted. He didn't have time for small talk, he was a man on a mission. "I need your help..."

"Oh no...I'm done with fighting." Winston said dismissively as he turned to walk away. "If you want help with combat, you should have gone looking for Genji or Pharah!"

"It's not combat related!" Soldier 76 retorted as he followed Winston, only stopping to retrieve _Helix Strike_. "I need you to decrypt something for me."

"Really?" Winston asked, though really he cared little. "And what do you want me to decrypt?"

"Video footage...for a case."

"Of course it's for a case." Winston muttered, taking more difficult means of travel to dissuade 76 from following, though it proved ineffective. "What is it this time, hmm? Bandit King? White Fang? That...Roadhog and Junkrat?"

"Vale Reaper." Soldier 76 simply replied, causing Winston to flinch in surprise.

Even in Old Town, news had spread fast of the Vale Reaper and their victims. Those poor kids, cut down in their prime.

"Why are you so bothered about the Beacon students? You've never cared for their well being before, why now?" Winston asked. As harsh as it was, it was true. The students of Beacon had been imperilled before, and the illustrious vigilante 'Soldier 76' had not raised a single finger to help.

"Because I think it's starting again..." Soldier 76 admitted, lowering his arms in defeat. "It's exactly the same as it was twenty years ago and I'm afraid it's-"

"You're afraid it's him..." Winston finished, the harsh look on his face replaced by one of pity and regret.

"Yes..." Soldier 76 replied, lowering his head as his hand reached for his pocket, revealing a storage device of some sort. "Please, before he hurts anyone else."

Winston stared at the device in 76's hand before looking up at him. His eyes narrowed as he studied the vigilante before leaning forward.

"And if it is him and you catch him, what will you do with him?" Winston asked. Depending on how he reacted to the question would determine if he would help him or not.

"What I should have done a long time ago..." Soldier 76 replied, holding the storage device out further.

Winston studied him for what felt like hours. His gaze both comforting and unnerving. Finally he sighed, grabbing the device from his hand.

"Fine, I'll help you..." Winston dejectedly said, turning to head to his quarters before stopping to face 76. "You might as well stay here for as long as you need. Lord knows how long this will take and it's no doubt better then whatever shack you've been living in."

"Thank you," Soldier 76 said as Winston turned to continue walking. "For doing this-"

"Let me make this clear, 'Soldier'!" Winston snarled, turning to face 76 rapidly. "I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing this for Jack!"

Soldier 76 hung his head low at the sound of his old name. He turned to walk away, but not before stopping to say one last thing to Winston.

"We're all soldiers now..."

 **00000000**

 **Yes that's right, Winston is in the house! If you liked this chapter, feel free to review and constructive criticism is always welcome. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in a review and I'll answer them next chapter.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	7. Identification

**Hey there my fellow readers, another week another chapter. First up, replying to reviews. OutlastTheDark, dear god I would definitely hate playing 'Clue' with her. As for the faunus thing, I honestly don't know. We have only seen mammal type faunus so far but there has been no concrete evidence suggesting they can only be part mammal. The reason Winston is a gorilla faunus is because the character of the same name in Overwatch is a big ass Gorilla. And that's freaking awesome! Now, on with the show!**

" _ **Talent is an accident of genes – and a responsibility." Alan Rickman, 1946-2016. You shall be missed.**_

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 7- Identification**

"Okay, how about...this guy?" Yang asked as she pointed at the screen, which depicted a muscular man in brown cloth and gold armour, wielding a bow.

"No." Blake sighed, pinching her nose as Yang scrolled past the man apparently called 'Hanzo' until she came across another picture of a muscular man.

"How about this one?" Yang asked as she pointed a finger at the new picture, this one of a man in a leather grey body suit and an almost robotic mask with a neon green visor.

"No." Blake repeated, causing Yang to groan in annoyance as she scrolled past yet another suspect. "Look guys, I already told you! I don't think the guy from the warehouse is the killer!"

"He's our only suspect so far, plus even if he is innocent, he's the only person we know of that might actually know who the killer is!" Weiss retorted, causing Blake to roll her eyes slightly and sigh in defeat. She was right, the man was their closest bet to finding the Vale Reaper.

The hard part was finding a match in Beacon's file history, which was made even more difficult by the fact that they couldn't search for the guy via his semblance, since no one actually knew what an appropriate name would be. They had already been searching for hours with no luck so far.

As Blake's eyes flitted through the files that Yang was scrolling through, her eyes caught a familiar shade of blue.

"Stop!" Blake shouted, causing Yang to stop what she was doing and look at Blake confused. "Go back a few profiles!" Blake ordered, which Yang complied with. As Yang scrolled back through the pictures, Blake saw the picture that caught her attention.

The person wore navy blue trousers with blue armour covering their chest, arms and feet. Over the chest piece yet somehow under the arm guards was a blue trench coat that was covered in dirt and scorch marks. He was admittedly rather handsome, with golden blonde hair neatly combed to the right with a headset inserted on his right ear. In his hands was a grey and white rifle that closely resembled the one used by the man from the warehouse. Not to mention his build fitted perfectly.

"That's him!" Blake announced as she pointed at the man on the screen.

"Are you sure?" Jaune asked, craning his head forward to insert himself into the conversation.

"Positive." Blake replied, earning a small nod from the rest. His Semblance matched the guy from the warehouse too, an adrenalin rush that increased his strength, speed and accuracy erratically, taking on the appearance of blue electricity arcing over his body.

"Right then, let's see who mystery guy is..." Yang stated as she selected the profile, the screen changing to show off their suspect.

"According to this our guy is called… John 'Jack' Morrison, born in Vale." Weiss read as she scanned the screen with her eyes. "That's weird..."

"What is it?" Ruby asked, leaning forward as she looked at the profile page detailing Morrison.

"It says here that Beacon was his second Academy...but that's impossible!" Weiss replied, her eyes narrowing as she continued scanning the page. A Huntsman or Huntress in training was only allowed access into one Huntsman Academy. If you were kicked out of one, you couldn't get into any of the others. What was so special about this guy?

"What Academy did he go to before? Does it say?" Blake asked as Yang scrolled through the profile.

"Says here before coming to Beacon he was enlisted into an Academy called...Overwatch." Yang replied as she narrowed her eyes. She had heard of that name before, but just couldn't place it.

"Over what now?" Ruby asked as she rubbed the back of her head in confusion.

"Of course...that makes sense..." Weiss finally said as the realisation hit her. "When I was a child, I heard stories that there were once two Academies in Vale. One was Beacon, the other was Overwatch."

"Wait, are you serious?" Ruby asked incredulously as Weiss spoke, tilting her head back in disbelief.

"I knew I'd heard of it somewhere! Uncle Qrow and dad used to talk about it from time to time." Yang said as she nudged Ruby slightly, before the realisation hit her sister as well.

"Apparently the Academy was so good that some considered it the best in the world." Weiss continued, causing the rest of the team to turn their attention to the Heiress. "Everyone agreed that only the best Huntsman and Huntresses originated from there."

"Sounds great, but what happened?" Jaune asked, raising his eyebrow slightly.

"The same thing that happens to all powerful organisations, corruption." Weiss replied, earning a silent gasp from the blonde knight in return. "Rumour had it that the Headmaster was rigging exams and was backing corrupt and evil organisations such as the Shimada assassin clan and the Talon terrorist group."

"Yeah that's what Uncle Qrow said, but some people think that it was Beacon planting false evidence to tarnish the Academies reputation." Yang added, earning yet another silent gasp from the blonde knight.

"Regardless of whether the rumours were true, Overwatch got shut down. All the current students were transferred to different Academies. And fate just so deemed that our friend here was transferred to Beacon." Weiss concluded. "The Overwatch students were treated as initiates, thus were inducted via the initiation as well as assigned new teams."

"Speaking of which, lets see who they were..." Yang said as she scrolled onto the next page of the profile. "According to this he was the leader of Team JAGR, which consisted of our friend John 'Jack' Morrison, Amélie Lacroix, Gabriel Reyes and Reinhardt Wilhelm."

The image on the screen changed to one of four people standing side by side. The one furthest to the left was easily identified as John Morrison whilst on his right was a woman in a black and red leather suit that was most likely Amélie Lacroix. On her right was a man with a black hooded jacket wielding two shotguns whilst black armour protected his body, most likely Gabriel Reyes. And furthest to the right was a man who could only be described as a walking tank. They wore large armour that eerily reminded Weiss of the knight construct she fought at home during training. In their hand they held a giant hammer that from the looks of it, doubled as a rocket launcher.

"Damn, I bet he's overcompensating for something..." Yang snickered as she looked over the immaculate armour and weapon.

"According to this they all attended Overwatch and were part-way through their first year when it got shut-down." Weiss said, gaining everyone's attention again.

"Were they all on the same team before going to Beacon?" Pyrrha asked, breaking her silence she had put herself in when they first arrived.

"No, Morrison wasn't even a team leader." Weiss replied as she looked through the profile. "According to this, the only person who had any experience was Gabriel Reyes yet for some reason whoever was in charge put Morrison as head of the Team."

"I guess Team GAJR just didn't have the same ring to it." Yang chuckled, only to be bopped on the head by Weiss in response.

"Well where is Morrison now?" Blake asked, wishing to get back to the main focus of why they were here. "Surely his profile page should contain details such as last known location or family details."

"Let's see here..." Yang replied as she scrolled through the profile until reaching the end of the page. She blinked in surprise as she finished the profile on Morrison. "That can't be right..."

"What is it?" Ren asked, leaning closer to the screen, his mouth going agape as he saw what had startled Yang.

"Blake, you sure this is the guy who attacked you?" Yang asked as she questioningly looked at the faunus.

"Positive, why?" Blake replied, unaware at what had startled Yang.

"Because according to this, he's been dead for like twenty years!" Yang replied, causing a collective gasp to resonate around the library.

"What?! No, that can't be right!" Blake replied, believing her team-mate had made an error.

"See for yourself..." Yang replied as she turned the computer around, showing the screen to Blake.

Blake read aloud from the computer, her words turning to silence upon reading the damning statement.

"It can't be true...it had to be him! His Semblance matches and everything!" Blake said, her eyes furrowed with confusion.

"True, but if we cross reference his Semblance with other students I'm sure we would find others with a similar power." Weiss replied.

"How did he die?" Blake asked, having gotten over the initial shock.

"Doesn't say...just that it was related to the deaths of the rest of his team." Yang replied, a sympathetic look on her face.

"Wait, his team died too?" Blake asked, raising her eyebrow slightly. "Does he have any known family?"

"His mother and father left Vale around the time of his death, guess they couldn't cope staying in the Kingdom their son died in..." Yang replied, a sad look in her eyes.

"Does it say where he was buried?" Blake asked, turning to face Yang slightly.

"According to this, he and his team were buried in-"

Yang was cut off by a loud cough behind her, startling both her and her friends. Both teams turned slowly to see Ozpin looking over them, walking stick in hand, with an upraised eyebrow.

"Professor Ozpin!" Weiss stuttered, being the first to recover. "We were just-"

"I can see what you were doing, Miss Schnee." Ozpin interrupted, though he didn't sound particularly angry. It should also be mentioned he didn't sound particularly happy either. "The question is why?"

"Why...what?" Ruby asked, attempting to sound innocent. Though judging by how Ozpin simply raised his eyebrow higher made it clear he wasn't buying it.

"Why are you looking through Beacon's files on graduated students?" Ozpin clarified, causing both teams to look at one another sheepishly. "Well, are you going to answer? Or am I going to have to send for Miss Goodwitch?"

"We were looking for evidence on the Vale Reaper...thought he might be a former Huntsman..." Jaune finally replied, earning a few glares from Team RWBY.

"Really?" Ozpin replied, his tone having become slightly more passive. "If that was the case then why were you looking through the file of a deceased student?"

"Because Blake said she saw him at the scene of a crime and-" Yang was quickly cut off when Blake clamped her hand around the blonde brawlers mouth, clearly startling her.

"Is this true Miss Belladonna?" Ozpin asked, turning his gaze to the faunus, who's eyes darted around wildly.

"Yes..." Blake finally replied, removing her hand from Yang's mouth who quickly sent an annoyed glare her way afterwards. Ozpin sighed loudly as he pinched the bridge of his nose, neither angry nor pleased with his students.

"Listen, I understand that you wish to help find this killer, truly I do! It shows how selfless you are, and I'm sure that qualities such as that will form you into great Hunters and Huntresses." Ozpin replied, causing the two teams to look at one another in slight confusion. "However, this Reaper is beyond any of you! Even combined the only difference you will make is add to their kill count! It is best left to the VPD and Atlas Military to find this monster, and you will certainly find no answers in the past."

"But-" Ruby was quickly cut off as Ozpin raised his hand, causing Ruby to become silent immediately.

"I will hear no more of it!" Ozpin stated, before gesturing to the exit with his cane. "I suggest you all head to your rooms, if I catch you again investigating these murders know I will not be so kind a second time."

The two teams stared at one another dejectedly before complying with Ozpin's orders, leaving the library and heading to the mess hall. Ozpin sighed loudly before turning to face the screen the two teams had been using, the profile of John 'Jack' Morrison still displayed on the screen.

"I hope what they claimed about you was true...for all our sakes..." Ozpin silently whispered, before closing the document down, switching the terminal off in the process.

 **00000000**

"So...now what?" Ruby asked as the two teams crowded around their usual table, silently contemplating the events of the last hour.

"I guess we should do what Ozpin said and just...drop it." Pyrrha replied, shrugging her shoulders slightly.

"And let the Reaper kill again?" Weiss questioned with a glare. "I don't think so!"

"Ozpin is bound to be watching us, making sure we don't disobey his orders..." Blake replied, shuffling slightly as she spoke.

"Speaking of which, did he seem a little off?" Yang asked, raising her eyebrow slightly.

"How so?" Ren asked, all turning their attention to the blonde brawler.

"He just seemed...I don't know...uncomfortable about the whole Vale Reaper subject." Yang replied, causing the rest of the teams to look at one another.

"You guys investigating this Reaper dude?" a voice asked behind them, causing the two teams to turn at the sound of the voice.

The eight students turned and found themselves facing both Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai, both of which had their hands placed on their hips in a confident manner.

"Turns out so are we." Emerald announced, shrugging her shoulders slightly as she spoke.

"Correction, we WERE investigating the Vale Reaper." Weiss replied, causing the two Haven students to turn and face the Heiress.

"What, you gonna stop because your Headmaster said otherwise?" Mercury asked, causing the two teams to look at one another questioningly. "Look, the sooner we get to the bottom of this case, the sooner the Tournament gets put back on. And 'Vales Finest' aren't doing a good job so far."

"So your motives are purely based on personal gain rather then because it's the right thing?" Blake asked, raising her eyebrow in annoyance.

"Look, we know we aren't saints, but you need all the help you can get!" Emerald replied, sighing slightly. "Besides, the more the merrier right?"

The two teams turned to face one another as they silently discussed for a whole minute before turning to face Mercury and Emerald.

"What about the rest of your team? Will they be joining you?" Weiss finally asked, raising her eyebrow slightly.

"Nope, they think they should leave it to the police." Mercury quickly replied, Emerald nodding in confirmation.

"I guess it couldn't hurt..." Pyrrha finally said, causing the others to nod in agreement.

"Alright then, it's settled!" Ruby said, holding her hand out which Emerald shook. "We'll meet up tomorrow and compare evidence!"

"Sounds like a plan." Mercury said, before turning to leave. "We'll see you then."

The two Haven 'students' waited until they left the mess hall before Emerald stuck out her tongue whilst making a disgusted noise, wiping her hand on her trousers.

"God I can't stand those brats!" Emerald complained as she continued to wipe her hands on her trousers. "Especially that self righteous faunus bitch!"

"I hear you, like they're doing it because it's the 'right thing to do'." Mercury replied, raising his hands as he quoted said faunus. "But orders are orders, Cinder said we need all the evidence we can get and Neo said she saw Blake at the warehouse."

"The sooner we find that Vale Reaper guy the better!" Emerald replied, flexing her arms as she cracked her knuckles.

Mercury only nodded in agreement as both 'students' returned to their dorm, where their dark mistress awaited them…

 **00000000**

 **Well, the plot thickens! Next week is gonna be a big one as well, so don't miss out on the fun! If you liked the chapter, feel free to review and constructive criticism is welcome. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in your review and I'll answer next chapter.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	8. It's a Trap!

**Well folks, it's here. The chapter where shit gets real. But first, time for review responses. ChidoriKilledTheBatman- I'm glad you liked it and I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. OutlastTheDark- Yeah, I was going for the 'Overwatch being the superior of the two academies' vibe. As for why no puns from Yang, I'm terrible at them. I wasn't trying to go for the 'dumb blonde roll' for Jaune and Yang, more like the 'He is going to find out eventually so might as well tell him now' vibe. Glad you thought the faunus comment was funny and as for the whole Neo thing, it doesn't say if she can talk or not but I assumed she has some way of communicating with people. But enough talk from me. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 8- It's a Trap!**

Forever Falls. A large blood red forest that spanned the land for miles around, separating Vale from the other Kingdoms. The only activity in the area were the Grimm that infested the forest like a parasite, or the odd school trip that centred on collecting the famous red sap that was indigenous to the area. But today was not like any other day…

Three Military Class Bullheads zoomed across the forest, the automatic turrets on the front and sides scanning for any Nevermore that came too close for comfort. Their destination; a large encampment that had set up base in the middle of the forest, where combined Atlas Military and VPD squads were preparing themselves for the catch of the century. The Vale Reaper.

"Just a thought, but I think you've gone a little overkill with your men." Valentine muttered as he overlooked a SWAT team trade supplies with a group of Atlas Soldiers.

"What makes you say that?" Ironwood asked, glancing to the Detective Sergeant who was currently puffing on a cigarette.

Valentine merely nodded to the right, where a large four legged tank fitted with a mortar cannon and a Gatling Gun strode past them, the ground trembling slightly with each step it took.

"I'm all up for catching this bastard, but you didn't really have to bring the entirety of the Atlas military with you!" Valentine stated, knocking some of the ash off his cigarette as he continued to puff on it.

"You're over exaggerating, I've only brought one battalion..." Ironwood chuckled, nodding to a pair of Atlas Soldiers who saluted as they entered the temporary command centre, filled with computer monitors that displayed head's up displays of multiple squad leaders.

"Still more than we needed..." Valentine muttered as he banged the top of one of the monitors which screen had become distorted, quickly bringing the film back into focus.

"If the 'Vale Reaper' is as dangerous as they have shown themselves to be, then we need all the help we can get!" Ironwood replied, his gaze never breaking from the monitors before them.

"True, but the reason they've killed so many before is because they've had one thing..." Valentine said, turning to face the General with a knowing smile. "The element of surprise! Take that away, and they're as good as dead."

"Perhaps...but as they say, expect the worse and you won't be disappointed." Ironwood quietly said, refocusing his gaze at the screen.

"What has that got to do with anything?" Valentine asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Just making a point Detective..." Ironwood replied before he leaned forward on the desk in front of him. "Do you mind going through the plan again?"

"Right..." Valentine muttered as he chucked the cigarette in his hand on the floor, the embers quickly scattering across the red grass in the tent. "We know the Reaper is targeting Beacon students, so we got an idea to lure them out. We had some of our specialists pose as Beacon students on Social Network sites, saying that they were heading out to camp in Forever Falls."

"And you're hoping the Vale Reaper will fall for this?" Ironwood asked, turning to face Valentine.

"How could they not?" Valentine questioned, raising his hands up exasperatedly. "Even if they do think it's a trap, they can't take the risk of it being actual students! Four students out here in the open with no help for miles around? They'd be crazy to miss out on that opportunity..."

"But instead of students, they'll find a strike team waiting..." Ironwood replied, grinning slightly as he thought over the plan.

"That and four fake students and the entire Atlas Military." Valentine sniggered, earning a small chuckle from Ironwood. Despite the somewhat carefree attitude of the Detective Sergeant, he did know how to set a plan up pretty well.

"I take it those are the 'Students'?" Ironwood asked, pointing to one of the monitors which connected to a camera feed of one of the SWAT leaders, who was gazing at four unmoving figures huddled around a camp fire.

"Yeah," Valentine replied, crossing his arms across his chest. "Amazing what a little duct tape and plastic can achieve..."

Ironwood smirked at the remark. It was silent for nearly a full minute before an Atlas Soldier popped his head through the tent.

"Sir, unidentified signature headed this way. Not one of ours and according to our eyes in the sky it ain't Grimm either!"

"It's them! Guess they took the bait after all." Ironwood stated before waving off the Soldier who saluted in return.

"Let's get this show on the road!" Valentine replied, rubbing his hands together readily before linking his radio to the strike team. "Teams Alpha through Gamma, Vale Reaper is en route to your position! I repeat, Vale Reaper is en route to your position! Initiate Operation: Blackwatch!"

 **00000000**

"Copy that sir, over and out!" Alpha leader replied, turning to face the rest of his squad. "You heard the boss, Operation: Blackwatch is initiated! Get to positions!"

"Yes sir!" the squad replied, sitting up from their position and heading to the edge of the clearing, where the 'Students' sat around a camp fire.

Alpha leader knelt down on the damp grass, aiming his rifle in the centre of the group as he brought his left wrist to his mouth.

"Alpha Team in position, over!" Alpha leader whispered, awaiting the response from the rest of the assembled teams.

" _Beta Team in position, over!"_

" _Charlie Team in position, over!"_

" _Delta Team in position, over!"_

" _Echo Team in position, over!"_

" _Gamma Team in position, over!"_

" _All right boys, the Vale Reaper is nearing your position. Do not engage until you see the signal, radio silence from here on out!"_ General Ironwood stated over the radio, before it crackled into silence.

Alpha leader tightened his grip on the rifle in his hands, taking deep breaths in order to keep his aim steady. Then he heard it, whispers that sent shivers down his spine. He turned slightly and saw his team were experiencing the same cold sensation he was. Then it was silent. Not even the whistling of birds could be heard, nor the chirping of crickets.

Then all hell broke loose.

Faster than any of them could anticipate, a black form rushed into the group, quickly decapitating one of the 'Students'. As the 'head' hit the floor, the figure stopped, becoming curious. First it looked at its blade, and then at the floor, surprised at the lack of blood. It was also the first glimpse of the Vale Reaper Alpha leader had seen, and he was just as he had imagined.

They wore a black hooded leather trench coat with clawed gauntlets and armour here and there, a pair of sickles in each hand. Their face was covered by a skull shaped mask that was bone white, two black hollow sockets granting him sight. The figure slowly strolled over to the 'head', tilting their own head in confusion.

Slowly, they reached down and picked the 'head' up, which was nothing more but a piece of plastic with a crudely drawn smiley face on it.

"Wait for the signal..." Alpha leader whispered, his finger twitching as he willed himself not to pull the trigger.

Suddenly, a large amount of confetti shot out along with an air horn blaring, startling the Reaper and causing him to drop the 'head' and look around in confusion.

"NOW!" Alpha leader shouted, letting loose a torrent of bullets at the Reaper, followed by the rest of his team.

Soon enough, the Vale Reaper was caught in a crossfire of bullets, each one causing him to stagger as they pierced his body. Alpha leader continued to fire at the Reaper, aiming for what would kill or seriously maim. He continued until his clip ran dry, along with the rest of the strike team. Loading a fresh clip into the rifle, he raised it should the Reaper try anything.

The Vale Reaper groaned loudly as he staggered around on the spot, his legs nearly giving way. Then as silently as he had entered, the Reaper slumped to the ground as what could only be described as blood streamed out his open wounds.

He was dead.

"Sir, this is Alpha leader! Vale Reaper is down! I repeat, Vale Reaper is down!" Alpha leader reported, a wide grin on his face as the assembled squads cheered and hooted around him.

" _Nicely done boys!"_ Valentine replied on the other end of the comms, the joy in his voice clear. _"You've made Vale proud!"_

" _Agreed."_ Ironwood joined in, his tone more passive than the Sergeants. _"Time to unmask this creep and find out who he really is!"_

"Yes sir, over and out!" Alpha leader replied, turning to his squad. "Lets move in, secure the area!"

"Yes sir!" the squad replied, quickly making their way to the clearing, checking for any more hostile signatures.

They were soon joined by the other squads that made up the strike team, who circled the area like a vulture before the squad leaders surrounded the body.

"Turn him over." Alpha leader ordered, as two of the squad leaders hefted him by the shoulder and pushed him up, his masked face now facing the sky.

"His blood's slicker then I thought it'd be..." Beta leader mumbled, wiping his hand on his uniform to rid himself of the blood staining his hands.

"Also a lot blacker..." Echo leader added, gazing quietly at the small puddle that had formed under the Vale Reaper. "Guess they weren't joking when they said evil deeds blacken the soul..."

"Enough chit-chat," Alpha leader ordered before looking down at the skull shaped mask. "Let's see who's the man behind the mask."

Alpha leader quickly knelt down and grasped the mask, attempting to tug it off. When it did nothing but cause the body to twitch slightly, he felt around the edge of the mask. His hand then brushed past a button, pressing it and causing a large amount of compressed air to hiss out. Whoever it was clearly needed the mask to survive rather than to hide their features. With the mask now free, he slowly pulled the mask off...only to stare in shock at the sight before him.

Before him was no man or faunus, but the metal frame of an old Atlesian Knight model.

"What the hell..." Charlie leader muttered as he gazed at the lifeless metal face.

Alpha leader growled and threw the mask to the side in frustration before bringing his wrist to his mouth. "Sir, this is Alpha leader. It's a bust, we didn't get him!"

" _What?!"_ Valentine shouted on the other end. _"That can't be right, are you certain?"_

"Positive sir! He knew we were waiting and he sent an old Knight unit instead!"

" _That's impossible! Our sensors don't pick up androids!"_ Ironwood added, confusion present in his voice.

"Sir! Listen!" one of the SWAT officers shouted, quickly grabbing Alpha leaders attention. At first he heard nothing, but then he began to hear something odd.

Beeping, and it was getting louder and more consistent with every second.

The group looked around in confusion as they tried to trace the origin of the noise. Then Alpha leader fell silent as his eyes darted to the body before him. Moving swiftly, he quickly ripped open the trench coat and his eyes were met by something that made him pale.

A large digital clock that was flashing red. A large digital clock that read '00:05'.

"Get out of here!" Alpha leader shouted as he backed away hastily, causing the group to stagger around in shock. "It's a trap! It's a -"

A large explosion suddenly erupted, engulfing the clearing in a torrent of flame, the noise drowning out the surprised and pained screams of the strike team.

The explosion sent Alpha leader crashing into the ground, his body badly burnt, but at least he was alive. He wearily looked up, the rest of the strike team nothing more but charred carcasses. As he wheezed for air, a shadow appeared before him. The last thing he saw was a metal sickle headed towards him, the blade glinting in the light…

 **00000000**

Ironwood and Valentine quickly left the confines of the tent, watching the pillar of flame rise high from the thick forest before collapsing.

"Dear God..." Valentine whispered, removing his sunglasses and dropping them in pure shock at the sight before him.

"We've lost contact with Alpha!" One of the Soldiers shouted as others rushed around in panic.

" _All forces, we've lost contact with multiple watchmen!"_ a panicked voice announced over the radio. _"Anyone at the southern border be advised and-"_

A scream suddenly drowned out the radio as the sound of metal piercing flesh was heard, alighting panic in the camp.

"They're here!" a SWAT officer shouted as he rushed forward, rifle raised.

Suddenly, the man let out a surprised yelp as a sickle yanked his ankle, dragging him behind a crate. Multiple Soldiers rushed towards the crate, only to find a bloody mess instead.

Another yelp was heard as one of the Soldiers was dragged away, causing the others to look around in confusion. He was soon followed by another, and another, and another until only one Soldier remained, who was visibly shaking, aiming his pistol whenever he heard movement.

Then he heard the whispers creeping up on him, as a cold void made it's presence known with a malicious chuckle. Reacting quickly the Soldier turned, unsheathing a combat knife, in an attempt to stab the Vale Reaper. The Reaper quickly caught the man's wrist, twisting the knife away and forcing it into its wielders own head. As the man staggered around in shock, the knife jammed in his helmet, the Reaper grasped him by his head and kneed the knife down further with a sickening squelch.

The camp was now buzzing with activity as the panicked forces attempted to find the Vale Reaper, aiming down every gap they passed.

"We got him!" SWAT officer shouted as he and another turned a corner and were met by the Reaper. They fired shot after shot as the Reaper stood calmly, dodging each and every bullet. Eventually, he spun around, dispersing into the black mist that fell onto the floor in a thin sheet, separating into the multiple tents in the area.

The two officers backed away slowly as they scanned the area for any sign of the Reaper. A cold sensation crawled up their spine as they registered the danger too slowly. Seconds later, the Reaper stood behind them, slashing in a large arc at the officers necks, decapitating them.

Panic engulfed the officers and Soldiers, many making their way to the Bullheads to escape. A large amount of Soldiers quickly jumped on, waving fellow escapees inside. Suddenly, a black mist quickly streamed into the Bullhead, causing panic immediately. One of the officers quickly went to jump out, only for the door to close, trapping them inside.

Those that had been fortunate to not enter the Bullhead watched in horror as it violently shook around, muffled screams being heard inside as blood sprayed onto the windows. It was silent for nearly a full minute until a bloodied hand slammed against one of the windows, sliding down as it left a bloody hand-print behind.

Those outside finally mustered their courage as they aimed their weapons at the door, one of them creeping closer to unlock it. With a swift tug, the Soldier opened the door, only to be greeted by a blanket of shadow that quickly engulfed him as he disappeared into the mist. The mist streamed up in an arc as the Reaper materialised for a brief second, dropping the Soldier who screamed as he fell to the ground, the impact snapping his neck with a wet crack.

The mist soon traversed behind one of the Soldiers as the Reaper materialised, sweeping the man's legs from under him before stabbing him in the chest with his sickle. The others fired at the Reaper who de-materialised yet again before he reappeared in mid air, delivering a spinning kick with enough force to snap yet another neck before he landed.

As he stood, a Soldier charged him in an attempt to tackle him to the ground. The Reaper quickly delivered a punch to the Soldiers gut, stunning him, before he unsheathed the knife attached to the Soldiers hip and forced the blade into his jaw, killing him. Tugging the blade out, a SWAT officer attempted to flank him, but the Reaper was quick to grasp his right arm and flip him over his back, before burying the knife in his visor.

Another Soldier charged, raising his own combat knife over his head, ready to bring it down. Quickly reacting, the Reaper raised his left arm to first block the incoming blow before slicing at the Soldiers stomach and slipping past him under the upraised arm. As the Soldier stumbled forward, the Reaper grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and buried the knife in the centre of his neck, leaving the blade in as he kicked the body forward.

The four remaining men, which consisted of three Soldiers and a SWAT officer, huddled around one another as the Reaper stared at them, unmoving.

The SWAT officer was the first to charge, rushing forward with an upraised fist. The Reaper quickly caught the arm and kneed the officer in his gut. Seemingly grasping his chest, he spun him round and kicked him in the back, sending him spiralling forward towards the Soldiers. The officer recovered and turned to face the Reaper, raising his fists defiantly.

In return, the Reaper simply raised his right hand, each finger with a grenade pin attached. The realisation hit the group too late as the officer fumbled with the jacket he wore, where four unpinned grenades were attached. They exploded seconds later, killing the group quickly and leaving behind a bloodied patch of ground where they once stood.

The Reaper heard a roar behind him as a Soldier wielding an energy baton charged him, quickly using his Semblance as the Soldier passed through him, confusing him greatly.

Quickly reappearing behind the Soldier, the Reaper tugged the Soldier to the left sharply, causing him to drop the baton. He then swiftly brought his foot down on the back of the Soldiers left shin, the Soldier screaming as the bone snapped. He quickly swept his right leg over the Soldiers head, bringing his foot down on his head, crushing it under boot.

As the Reaper wiped his bloodied boot on the ground, the ground began to tremble. He turned quickly and was met by the sight of an Atlesian Spider Tank, being flanked by multiple Soldiers, officers and even the prestigious General Ironwood who had a revolver aimed at his head, who was also joined by none other than Detective Sergeant Richard Valentine.

"It's over Reaper!" Valentine shouted, pumping the shotgun in his hand before aiming it at the Reaper. "The killing ends now!"

"If you insist..." the Reaper replied, laughing dryly as he reached for _Death's Vice_ , quickly shifting into their shotgun forms.

The Soldiers, officers, Ironwood and Valentine fired immediately at the Reaper, who merely activated his Semblance and sped away.

The Soldiers and Officers fanned out as the Spider Tank slowly edged forward, Ironwood and Valentine staying in the vehicles shadow.

Suddenly, the Reaper appeared over the group, firing his shotguns in a torrent of bullets, quickly decimating the Soldiers and officers. The Spider Tank aimed the Gatling Gun at the Reaper and fired at his location, firing a round from it's cannon for good measure. As the bullets edged closer, the Reaper merely activated his Semblance again, the rounds passing through nothing yet again.

"Where the hell did he go?" Ironwood asked as what few of their forces remained encroached on their position.

"Show yourself coward! Fight like a man for once in your life!" Valentine yelled, turning slightly at the sound of a twig snapping.

"All right then..." a cold voice replied behind him.

Turning swiftly, Valentine aimed the shotgun only for the sickles to lock around it and push it up above his head, causing Valentine to waste the shot. With a sharp tug, the Reaper severed the shotgun, causing Valentine to stumble back and drop the weapon. He attempted to deliver a right hook, only for the Reaper to side step the blow. As Valentine attempted to bring his fist back, the Reaper quickly jammed the sickle in his left hand into Valentine's side.

Valentine coughed up a large amount of blood as he clutched the blade, looking up to see the Reaper stare him in his eyes. Valentine swore that he saw two small red orbs in the usually empty sockets, which only unnerved him more.

"Any last words, Detective?" the Reaper asked, drawing closer to Valentine.

His reply was to simply spit at the Reaper, staining his mask with blood. "Go to hell..."

"So be it..." The Reaper replied, before he forced the sickle in his right hand down Valentine's neck, quickly tugging it out as he split the chest in two and spraying him with blood.

"Valentine!" Ironwood shouted, watching in horror as the lifeless body fell forward. The look of horror was quickly replaced by one of anger as he turned to the Spider Tank. "Open fire!"

The operator quickly obeyed and fired a barrage from the Gatling gun, the Reaper streaming through the bullets effortlessly. As he edged closer, the Spider Tank brought it's left fore-leg down, attempting to crush the Reaper underfoot. The Reaper quickly jumped to the right before leaping upwards.

He quickly grabbed onto the main cannon and swung around it twice before letting go and landing on its fore-leg. The Spider Tank attempted to swing it's body around to knock the Reaper off, who merely ducked and clambered onto the top of the tank, slicing the Gatling gun off in the process.

The Spider Tank shook itself wildly as it attempted to shake the Reaper off, the few remaining Soldiers and SWAT officers firing at the Reaper as well, who was striking at the metal hull with his sickles, the blades sparking off as they merely scratched the metal.

Quickly improvising, the Reaper instead started striking the hatch protecting the operator. After a few futile strikes, the Reaper finally caused significant damage, slicing through the lock of the hatch. Replacing the weapon in his hand with a small black orb with red highlights, he pulled open the hatch, revealing the operator.

Clicking a small button on the device in his hand, he dropped the orb in before slamming the hatch down, activating his Semblance as he fled. Ironwood heard panicked screaming inside as the hatch quickly reopened, but it was too late.

The Spider Tank quickly exploded, engulfing the area in flame, quickly consuming all those present. Ironwood was sent flying as his screams joined those of the others. Then, there was darkness…

 **00000000**

Ironwood opened his eyes, his vision blurred as smoke and heat stung his eyes. He seethed loudly as he raised his hand to shield his face, his eyes still watering. He looked around at the carnage surrounding him, the bodies of Atlas Soldiers and SWAT officers sprawled on the floor, their bodies burned to a crisp leaving shrivelled forms behind. His eyes darted around the raging inferno surrounding him, his eyes resting upon the corpse of Valentine. He sighed loudly, looking for the revolver he had carried with him before he snatched it from the ground. He groaned as he stood up, a sharp pain shooting up his leg as he leaned against an upturned Bullhead. He looked down, to see a large cut along his leg, dried blood coating his trouser leg.

He bit his lip as he limped forward, pain shooting through his leg with each step he took. As he edged from his resting place, he saw a form head towards him. He squinted his eyes as he attempted to identify the man, the heat lines and his own blurred vision making it impossible. Then as the figure got closer, more distinguishable features became apparent. Black robes, clawed gauntlets, a sickle in each hand and a face hidden by a skull.

Ironwood's eyes widened as fear gripped him. It was impossible, no one could survive such a blast! He quickly raised the revolver, firing shot after shot at the Reaper, who merely blocked them all with the sickle in his right hand. Ironwood backed away as the Reaper gained on him, still firing bullet after bullet. Then with a single slash from the sickle in his left hand, he severed the revolver's barrel off, before piercing Ironwood's wrist with the sickle in his right.

Ironwood let out a pained yell as he felt the cold metal enter his flesh, before the Reaper pulled Ironwood closer.

"How's the arm, Ironwood?" the Reaper chuckled, digging the blade deeper into his arm.

How did he know about his arm? Only few people knew about his injury, how did he find out?

With a sharp tug, the Reaper pulled the blade out, splitting his arm in two as severed bone hung from the wound.

Ironwood looked in horror at his arm, his hand dangling from the top half of his arm whilst the bottom of his arm just hung lightly. The shock delayed the pain at first, but soon he was screaming loudly as blood gushed from the wound like a waterfall. As Ironwood stumbled around, the Reaper batted his arms to the side and kicked him in the gut, sending him tumbling against the Bullhead. As he hit the Bullhead, the Reaper quickly planted his sickles into Ironwood's palms, nailing him to the Bullhead.

He cried out yet again as the Reaper chuckled dryly, turning around and cracking his knuckles. Ironwood attempted to tug himself free, but the blades wouldn't move. The fear on his face quickly subsided as it was replaced by one of determination.

"If you're going to kill me, just do it!" Ironwood seethed, causing the Reaper to turn and tilt his head questioningly. "I deserve a quick death!"

"Kill you? Why would I do that?" the Reaper questioned, strolling over to Ironwood casually. Ironwood looked at him in shock as the Reaper lightly gripped his neck and pointed a clawed finger at Ironwood's chest. "How can you deliver my message if you're dead?"

"W-what are you talking about?" Ironwood questioned, the fear returning to his eyes.

"You're going to deliver a message to Ozpin!" the Reaper replied, causing Ironwood to look at him incredulously. "When you see him, tell him this..."

The Reaper then leaned closer to Ironwood, whispering into his ear so quietly he had to strain to hear him. When he was finished, Ironwood looked at him, more confused than anything.

"Don't worry, he'll understand..." the Reaper chuckled turning to leave the area.

Ironwood sighed as he let himself hang slightly, only for the Reaper to suddenly turn and grab him by his throat and lift him slightly off the ground.

"But first," the Reaper sneered, clattering the clawed fingers on his free hand before digging one of his fingers into Ironwood's cheek. "We're going to have a chat..."

 **00000000**

 **Told you shit was about to get real. I hope the chapter lived up to all your expectations and that you'll stick around for the long run. If you liked it, feel free to review and constructive criticism is welcome. Any questions? Feel free to leave them in your review or PM me. I'll be starting a new RWBY crossover soon to fill the void that will appear once I finish my other Fan Fic. More details will be posted next chapter.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	9. The Message

**Well folks, another chapter. Hopefully this one will live up its predecessors expectations and make you all happy. Also, finally got around to doing a front cover. Sorry for the poor quality, my scanner combined with the lack of editing effects available on this site make for a real crap quality front cover it seems. Now, review response time. ChidoriKilledTheBatman- Glad you liked the action scenes, had a great time writing them up. As for your question, Nick Valentine is loosely based on Rick Valentine from Fallout 4. I admit, it did help imagining the voice actors voice when writing his dialogue. OutlastTheDark- Glad you liked the chapter and thank you for the compliment. Also, I'm happy their deaths pleased you. As for the fight scenes, a lot were inspired by Halo 5 assassinations, the first Matrix and the part where he 'sucks' the guy into his Semblance was slightly inspired by the intro to X2. As for your comment on the last speech in the chapter...maybe you should call social services or maybe, I don't know, hire a bodyguard...Now, on with the show!**

" _ **I don't see eight million listeners. I see them as individuals – the man listening in his lorry, the woman getting her children ready for school, the husband in his car." Sir Terry Wogan, 1938-2016. You shall be missed.**_

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 9- The Message**

Deep in the streets of Vale's Old Town, the ruins of the once majestic Overwatch Academy stood proudly. Whilst time had been less than kind for the majority of the buildings in the area, it still had an almost otherworldly glow emanating from its concrete walls. The Academy was almost completely forgotten by the people of Vale, its many accomplishments overshadowed by its dark downfall. The Academy itself was now a broken shadow of its former glory, with only the occasional scrounger scavenging for any supplies. Yet still it was not completely abandoned…

Winston sat in what was once the IT suite of the Academy, multiple computer panels of all shapes and sizes hanging from the wall. Winston sat on an old tractor tire, which was utilised as a seat whilst he typed away on the keyboard in front of him with his hand like feet whilst in his main hands he held both an unpeeled banana and an open jar of peanut butter.

One of the many benefits of being a Gorilla faunus; your feet acted as a second set of hands. He grunted to himself as he dipped the banana into the peanut butter before taking a bite out of it. As he quickly devoured the remainder of the yellow fruit and nutty spread, he quickly turned to face his Arc gun, _Lunar Storm_ , and began tinkering with it as he quickly began ensuring the modifications he had recently added were still functioning properly.

" _WARNING! STORAGE DEVICE CORRUPTED! DATA PREPARING TO BE DELETED!"_

Winston's eyes widened as he heard the automated voice blare from the speakers as the monitor in front of him flared red as multiple messages appeared on his screen.

"Oh crap..." Winston muttered as he turned his full attention to the task at hand, jumping up as he began to use his main hands to perform the necessary actions.

Judging from the messages dancing across his screen he had just activated a 'sleeper virus', a nasty program that remained dormant until activated, usually by opening a file of some form. And judging by how fast it was spreading through his system, it was a nasty one at that. He had to act fast if he wanted to contain it, or else who knew what other data could be lost.

First things first, he had to disconnect the system from the main network, therefore isolating the program. This proved no easy feat as the virus was already distorting the screen, making it nearly impossible to make out what he was clicking.

After fruitless seconds of trial and error, he finally managed it, the program now isolated onto the main monitor. He had to act fast now, he had no idea how long it would be until all the files were deleted. Quickly bounding towards one of the older computer's stationed in the old classroom, he quickly inserted a disk into the CD-ROM and switched the computer on.

He waited for a few seconds for the screen to come to life, but to no avail. He violently shook the monitor yet still nothing. His eyes scanned the power cord, only to see it had been frayed beyond repair.

"Dammit all!" Winston shouted as he slammed his fists on the floor in frustration.

He looked around for any alternate power source, when his eyes landed on _Lunar Storm_. He had recently added a new generator that gave the weapon the ability to discharge electricity at a direct source. The new design was built for the purpose of depositing lethal amounts of electrical energy into Grimm or raiders, but he had yet to try the weapon on an electrical device…

He quickly grabbed the Arc Gun and began the charging system. One of two things were bound to happen. One; the computer would receive enough energy to activate for a short time, allowing him to download the necessary anti-virus programs and install them onto the affected device. Or two; it would just blow up in his face.

Only one way to find out…

He quickly felt the weapon power up, vibrating gently in his hands. He hefted it up slightly and gripped the trigger. As soon as his finger squeezed the trigger, a concentrated beam of electrical energy shot out the device, hitting the computer head on and causing the device to glow brightly as it gently shook on the table. The computer continued to glow as it hummed loudly, multiple high pitched beeps indicating the system was activating...before it promptly stuttered out sparks and exploded, sending the metal frame flying in all directions.

"Well...should have expected that really..." Winston muttered as he quickly placed the Arc Gun on the floor, turning around to deal with the virus the old fashioned way.

He quickly activated the anti-virus system on the affected monitor, though the virus appeared to be doing everything in its power to stop him. This is what he had been afraid of, which was why he would have preferred to use a newer program to stop it. As the anti-virus program attempted to combat the virus, he glanced and saw the files were being prepared for deletion.

His eyes narrowed in concern as the program neared the end of the progress bar, the files forever lost…

" _DELETION CANCELLED! REBOOTING INTO 'SAFE MODE'!"_

Winston turned and let out a sigh of relief. The program had successfully stopped the virus. No doubt he would have to wipe the systems memory and ensure no traces of the virus lingered. He turned back to the monitor as the system rebooted. He resumed his work and began scanning the video file, making sure there was no lingering traces of corruption present.

He didn't know what Jack would-no, what 'Soldier 76' would do if he ended up loosing the data. Honestly, he didn't know. He wasn't Morrison any more, he had made that abundantly clear…

Once he was confident the file was no longer corrupted, he pressed the document, awaiting for whatever footage may appear…

" _THIS DEVICE WAS RECENTLY CORRUPTED. TO ENSURE DOCUMENT SAFETY, THIS FILE HAS BEEN LOCKED OFF FOR: TWO HOURS! THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE."_

Winston groaned loudly as he slumped back in his make-shift chair, quickly throwing the empty jar of peanut butter against the wall, the glass shattering upon contact. At least the file was still viewable, not that it was any meaningful consolation.

He sighed loudly as he instead used one of his secondary hands to grab a nearby TV remote and switch said device on. He needed a break, that much was for sure. He flicked through the multiple channels to see what was on. Channel 2 had a re-run of one of the old 'X-Ray and Vav' cartoons, Channel 4 had some show about a black armoured 'elf', whatever that was, and a red robed human attempting to get large amounts of 'Gold' whilst he skipped straight to Channel 9 which was re-running one of his favourite shows about two separate armies attempting to gain control of a box canyon.

He chuckled to himself as he watched the antics of the two armies, only for the show to abruptly stop as blaring music resounded out the loud speakers as the show was replaced by the symbol of the Vale News Network.

"We interrupt this broadcast to bring Breaking News, live from VNN HQ!" a male voice announced as the image was replaced by that of News Anchor Olympia Shaw.

Winston leaned forward curiously as he looked upon the News Anchors face, which was clearly distressed.

"We interrupt this broadcast to bring you tragic news." Olympia Shaw announced, her voice trembling slightly. "Just hours ago, a strike force composed of both Atlas Military and the Vale Police Department was attacked, leaving no survivors. Detective Sergeant Richard 'Rick' Valentine was amongst the deceased whilst General James Ironwood, head of the Atlas force in Vale and headmaster of Atlas Academy, is missing and presumed dead. Whilst the White Fang have been labelled as the main suspects, Police have not ruled out any connection to the serial killer, The Vale Reaper."

Winston's mouth went agape as the broadcast continued, before he switched the TV off and sighed loudly. Soldier 76 needed to know about this. He turned and bounded towards the monitor, checking the security feed for the building. As he expected, Soldier 76 was in the sparring hall, honing his skills. He quickly turned and sprinted out the room, sliding slightly as he stopped and turned the corner. The sparring hall was on the other side of the Academy, usually it would take nearly half an hour to get there. Fortunately, he had his ways…

 **00000000**

Soldier 76 strolled into the old sparring hall as his mind went back to the old days. He would spend countless hours training as he aimed to be the best of the best, whether it be against other students or robotic training dummies. His hand brushed away some of the dust on the main control panel, his hand lingering slightly as he felt it hum beneath his fingers.

"Must still be some power left..." Soldier 76 whispered to himself, quickly tapping the touch-screen to see if his assumption was correct.

Seconds later, the screen lit up as the Academies symbol appeared on the screen before multiple selection tabs appeared above it.

" _Welcome to the Overwatch Sparring Hall, please select your challenger!"_ a soft female voice ordered, distorting slightly as the screen crackled.

Soldier 76 played with the idea of going through the training program again. Not that he needed it of course, he was an expert when it came to the art of combat. Still, those two girls had nearly shown him up back at the warehouse, his technique was sloppy. Not to mention he had nearly been caught by the VPD when he infiltrated their HQ almost three weeks ago.

No, he needed to be on form when he came face to face with the Vale Reaper. And the only way to be on form was to train.

He quickly tapped the tab labelled 'A.I' as more tabs appeared, reading 'Novice', 'Apprentice', 'Adept', 'Expert', 'Master' and 'Grand Master'.

" _A.I combatant selected. Please choose a difficulty level."_

Almost immediately, he clicked the tab titled 'Grand Master', causing a warning message to play.

" _Warning, this difficulty is for third year teams and teachers only! Are you sure you wish to continue?"_

Soldier 76 instantly clicked 'Yes' before having the stage set to 'Random'. He heard the sound of gears grinding as the amphitheatre below him changed. The once barren arena was now replaced by a ruined metropolis, multiple buildings having collapsed, offering cover for him.

On the other side of the amphitheatre was a robot, no taller than him. Its legs were digitigrade in design and its rusty metal hull was painted tan and green. Light blue highlights that flickered slightly were dotted around its body whilst a large blue eye the same colour sat in the centre of its head. Its right hand was replaced by a Machine Gun whilst a large Gatling Gun rested upright on its back. On its left side were painted the code 'E54'.

Soldier 76 grunted in surprise at the sight of the old 'Siege Automaton E54 "BASTION"' unit. They were the main choice for training during the old days and if the school ever came under threat, were the first line of defence. He was surprised the unit was in such a good condition, let only still functioning.

The 'Bastion' stepped forward onto a small platform hanging over the amphitheatre before descending into the Arena. Soldier 76 did the same, quickly pulling out _Helix Strike_ and shifting the weapon into its rifle mode.

" _Combatants ready! Beginning combat in; 5...4...3...2...1..."_

Soldier 76 tensed as he slowly raised _Helix Strike_ , the 'Bastion' doing the same with its Machine Gun.

" _Begin!"_

The 'Bastion' fired immediately, the spray of bullets streaming forward at an alarming pace. Soldier 76 rolled to the right, returning fire in quick bursts. The 'Bastion' moved to the left, ducking under shots whilst also returning fire. Soldier 76 continued to move, focusing on getting to cover rather than attacking. Swerving behind a corner, Soldier 76 quickly loaded a fresh clip into _Helix Strike_ before popping out the corner and firing relentlessly at the 'Bastion'.

As the bullets came forward at an alarming pace, the 'Bastion' immediately reconfigured itself, its head sliding into its body as it folded its arms in on itself, spinning its body around as the Gatling Gun on its back pointed outwards towards him, a rectangular blue shield suddenly appearing as the bullets bounced harmlessly off it.

Recognising it as the units 'Sentry Mode', Soldier 76 quickly sprinted from his cover as the Gatling Gun quickly reduced it to dust. Whilst in 'Sentry Mode', the 'Bastion' was immobile but could turn 360º and was protected by a one way shield. Soldier 76 continued to sprint until he found a cover that was thick enough to survive the Gatling Gun.

Soldier 76 panted as he quickly raised _Helix Strike_ close to his chest, pumping the weapon in order to activate the rifles secondary weapon, its rockets.

Breaking cover, he fired three rockets at the 'Bastion', the first two shattering its shield whilst the third damaged the hull of the automaton. Quickly re-entering its main 'Recon Mode', the 'Bastion' quickly moved to the safety of cover as it fired at Soldier 76's position. Easily dodging the shots, Soldier 76 took cover as he reloaded a fresh batch of Dust Propelled Rockets into the weapon. Rising quickly, he aimed at where the 'Bastion' had taken cover and fired the rockets, the building quickly collapsing on the 'Bastion', burying it.

"Hmph, didn't make the cut..." Soldier 76 grunted, turning into the open courtyard as he made his way over to the lift.

The sound of rubble shifting quickly made him stop as he turned to face the rubble, which was bouncing up and down. Without warning, the 'Bastion' erupted out of the rubble, completely unscathed, even from his previous assault.

"What the..." Soldier 76 muttered as he staggered back, clearly surprised.

The 'Bastion' quickly used the opportunity to fire its Machine Gun, sending Morrison flying back as he was hit by the bullets until he impacted a wall, sliding down as the 'Bastion' stepped out of the rubble around it. Quickly regaining his senses, Soldier 76 growled as he shifted _Helix Strike_ into its melee form, a large Machete.

Sprinting forward, Soldier 76 lunged up into the air as the 'Bastion' raised its left arm in defence, blocking the blow. It then thrust its right arm forward, hitting Soldier 76 in the gut and causing him to stagger backwards before it followed through with its left arm, Soldier 76 just managing to duck beneath the blow. The two then exchanged blows for a short while, each one parrying the other.

Eventually however, the automaton slipped up. It swung both arms forward in an arc, attempting to hit Soldier 76 in the gut. Soldier 76 easily parried the blow, holding _Helix Strike_ with both hands with the blade pointing down. Before the 'Bastion' could recover, Soldier 76 quickly moved his right hand down to his pistol and aimed at the automaton's optic.

Firing the pistol swiftly, the 'Bastion' was quickly blinded as it staggered back uncontrollably, randomly firing its Machine Gun in all directions. As it continued to fire blindly, Soldier 76 raised the pistol and fired at one of the joints in its leg, crippling it immediately.

As the 'Bastion' attempted to drag its body away, Soldier 76 quickly rolled a grenade on the floor, the explosive bouncing off of the automaton's foot. As it looked down at its foot, the grenade exploded, sending the 'Bastion' flying into a wall, its body severely damaged. Soldier 76 quickly activated his Semblance as he charged forward, giving him both a boost in strength and speed. As the 'Bastion' attempted to rise, Soldier 76 quickly spun clockwise and swung out in a horizontal arc. Seconds later, the 'Bastion' slumped to the floor as its head clattered onto the floor, the shattered eye dimming into darkness.

" _Match complete! The winner is: Unknown Combatant!"_ the voice announced, causing Soldier 76 to grunt in amusement as _Helix Strike_ shifted back into its rifle form before he placed the weapon on his back. _"Will the combatant please vacate the arena!"_

Soldier 76 strolled over to the platform that he descended from as it slowly lifted him back next to the control panel.

" _Floor cleared!"_ the voice announced as metal shutters began to rise around the amphitheatre, blocking his line of sight. _"Resetting arena floor!"_

"Never gets old, huh?"

Soldier 76 turned at the sound of the voice, and was met by Winston who was standing by the doorway with a sombre look on his face.

"How's the decryption going?" Soldier 76 asked.

"The files been decoded, but we can't view it yet for at least two hours." Winston replied. That was good news in Soldier 76's eyes, which was why he was surprised by the Gorilla faunus' expression. "But that's not why I'm here..."

"What is it?" Soldier 76 asked, folding his arms as he spoke. He preferred to be 'to the point' and all this dancing around was doing him no good.

"See for yourself..." Winston replied, tossing a Scroll over to Soldier 76 who easily caught it.

He immediately caught the device and activated it, gasping silently at what was displayed on the screen. A task-force entrusted with finding the Vale Reaper had been completely annihilated, with many key leaders either dead or missing.

"You think this was him?" Soldier 76 asked, looking up to Winston as he spoke.

"How can it not be him?" Winston asked, shrugging his shoulders. "If it was White Fang, they would have bragged about it by now...not to mention there were none of their symbols left behind."

Soldier 76 groaned loudly as he continued looking through the news reports. 'Tragedy in Forever Falls', 'Huntresses go missing' and 'Vale Reaper still on the loose' were amongst the top results.

"I'll look into it when I get back..." Soldier 76 announced, tossing the scroll to Winston as he walked past him.

"Back? Back from where?" Winston asked, yet he received no reply as Soldier 76 strolled around the corner. Moving quickly after him, Winston turned the corner, only to find no trace of the vigilante. Winston let out an unamused growl as he shook his head. "I hate it when he does that..."

 **00000000**

Ozpin sat in the gardens of Beacon, drinking a cup of coffee as he read the book he held aloft, detailing a small fable about a Huntsman who used the powers of the Grimm against them, and was shunned by society as a result. He took another sip from the coffee as he continued to read, only stopping when he felt a presence nearby.

"You may come out now Glynda, there is no use hiding..."

True to Ozpin's suspicion, Glynda Goodwitch soon strolled out, standing almost a foot away from Ozpin.

"Care to join me?" Ozpin asked, gesturing to a space on the bench next to him, though judging from her expression, she was not here to enjoy the serenity of the gardens.

"You know why I'm here, Ozpin." Glynda stated, her voice as stern as ever. "I implore you to reconsider your decision!"

"And what decision is that?" Ozpin asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"You know full well what I'm talking about!" Glynda sternly replied, stepping forward slightly. "Please Ozpin, for the students sake, close Beacon Academy!"

"We will not let this terrorist control us Glynda." Ozpin replied, slamming the book shut as he quickly rose. "If we close the school, the students will be more vulnerable! Who's to say the Vale Reaper knows where they live? At Beacon, we can better protect them."

"I don't want to see our school turn into a slaughter-house!" Glynda protested, holding her arms out widely. "If the Reaper was bold enough to attack a military task-force, then what's to stop them from attacking Beacon?!"

"We do not know for certain if the Vale Reaper is responsible for the attack in Forever Falls." Ozpin corrected, turning to leave as Glynda followed.

"And what of Team FRYA?" Glynda asked as she quickly caught up with Ozpin. "No one has seen them for days! Whoever they are, they're getting bolder!"

Ozpin sighed at the mention of the missing Huntresses in training. Snatched away in broad daylight, no one having heard or seen them since.

"My decision is final!" Ozpin finally replied, stopping and turning to face Glynda. "Beacon Academy will remain open!"

"If you will not close Beacon for the students safety, at least close for your-"

Glynda suddenly stopped as her face contorted to one of horror, her hand going to her mouth as she staggered back in shock. Confused, Ozpin turned to see what had made the usually stoic teacher pale, and recoiled at what he saw.

"Ozpin..." Ironwood managed to say as he limped forward, nearly collapsing from exhaustion.

Ironwood's body was littered with cuts and bruises that even a Beowolf would be jealous of. His left eye was covered in bruises whilst his right eye looked as though someone had attempted to cut it out. His right arm had been severed below the elbow whilst his left arm cradled his stomach, no doubt to stop its contents from spilling out.

Ozpin quickly rushed forward, catching the General before he could fall over and leaning him against a nearby tree.

"James! What happened?!" Ozpin asked as he looked over the wounded General.

"Vale Reaper...ambushed us...killed everyone..." Ironwood gasped, nearly passing out from the pain.

"Glynda, call an ambulance immediately!" Ozpin ordered, which Glynda happily obliged to. As Glynda sprinted off inside the Academy, Ozpin turned his attention back to Ironwood. "Don't worry, everything is going to be all right."

"Ozpin..." Ironwood said, gasping for air as he grabbed the Headmasters jacket and pulled him closer. "He wanted...to give you a message..."

"What sort of message?" Ozpin asked, clearly confused.

"He said...'reap...what you sow'..."

Ozpin paled at the words. It couldn't be him, that was impossible. He was dead!

"What?" Ozpin asked, to which the General chuckled slightly as his eyes grew heavy.

"He said...you would understand..." Ironwood managed to say, before his eyes closed and he let out one final breath before slipping into unconsciousness.

 **00000000**

 **The plot thickens yet again! Where is Soldier 76 going? How does Ozpin know that phrase? Will Ironwood survive? Find out soon! As I mentioned in the last chapter, I would give more details as to what my next RWBY crossover would be. So without further ado, here's the clue…**

"The rules for what I like to call the Reaver Team Spirit Award are these: firstly, anyone who so much as murmurs another complaint will be shot! Second, anyone who takes more than a three second break will be shot! Third, anyone who breaks any other rules I have yet to formulate will, yes, you guessed it, be shot!"

 **If you haven't guessed it, it's a RWBY/Fable crossover. I'll be releasing it next Sunday and bumping Reap What You Sow onto Saturday. But until then, I hope you enjoy.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	10. Digging up the Past

**Hey there folks, another chapter here of Reap What You Sow...now on Saturdays! It feels kinda weird admittedly. On with review responses. Lone Gundam: well, perhaps Ozpin may be more innocent than I let on...or I could be messing with you...we will never know. OutlastTheDark: Yeah, technology is a bitch these days. As for the whole '76' thing, I think it's an inside reference to a comic book entitled 'Soldier 76' made by Chris Metzen (The voice of Soldier 76) in which the main hero bore remarkable similarities to the Overwatch version. And could Reaper attack the school...perhaps he could. And finally Enth WhoaCreeper: nice catch with the Overwatch lore point and thank for the compliment about the assassinations. I can promise you the fight scenes are only going to get more bad-ass as the story progresses. Now, on with the show!**

 **WARNING- CONTAINS SLIGHT SPOILERS FOR VOLUME THREE!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 10- Digging up the Past**

To say that Beacon was in chaos at this moment in time was considered an understatement. Students were panicking as Atlesian forces landed via drop ship to tend to their wounded General, who was lucky to be alive. Of course, the lack of communication between the two Academies had led many to believe that the Atlas military were attempting to take Beacon by force, which wasn't helped by the aggressive nature of the Soldiers.

After a few minutes of explaining by Ozpin did the students finally begin to calm down, and now instead opted to watch in curiosity at the scene playing out before them. General Ironwood had been found on Beacon grounds nearly dead at least half an hour ago. By the time a medical team had arrived he was barely clinging to life. It was by shear luck that the medics had managed to pull through and resuscitate Ironwood, who was to be sent back to Atlas Academy for further treatment.

The students watched as Ironwood's body was carried away on a stretcher, with two groups paying particular interest to the scene before them.

"Damn...the Reaper did that to him?" Mercury muttered as the ship carrying Ironwood slowly turned and left Beacon. "Guys got balls, I'll give him that..."

"He's gotta be pretty tough to take on an entire battalion by himself..." Emerald silently replied, before turning to face Cinder. "You sure we should be trying to kill him? Sounds like he could be pretty useful..."

"Do I detect a hint of fear, Emerald?" Cinder silently asked, turning to face her 'comrade' with narrowed eyes.

"Just a suggestion...I'm not sure we can take him otherwise..." Emerald nervously replied, turning her head to the left slightly as the Atlesian ship soon left their line of sight.

"You said that about the Maiden, yet we still managed to beat her...this Reaper is nothing more but a man in WAY over his head." Cinder replied as she turned to leave, followed closely by Mercury and Emerald.

"Gotta admit," Mercury interrupted, rubbing his head as he spoke. "Emerald does have a point. The Reaper is spreading more fear in Vale faster than we could have during the Tournament."

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Mercury, nor do I care for it." Cinder sternly replied, causing the silver haired assassin to gulp loudly. "The plan remains the same. Use Team RWBY and JNPR to find out what you can about the Reaper so we may make our move..."

As Cinder turned the corner out of sight, Mercury huffed loudly as he shook his head in annoyance.

"This wasn't in my contract..." Mercury muttered, before turning to face Emerald, who was looking at him with an unimpressed stare.

"You don't HAVE a contract dumb-ass!" Emerald replied as she turned to follow Cinder, leaving Mercury alone before he too turned to leave.

 **00000000**

"Oh god, this is bad!" Ruby said as she looked nervously to her left and right where the rest of her team were standing.

"That's putting it lightly sis'..." Yang muttered as the blonde brawler turned to head back into Beacon, followed closely by the rest of RWBY.

"How could one man effectively destroy nearly half of the VPD and Atlas token force in a single strike?" Weiss asked, attempting to make sense of the chaos. Ozpin had mentioned that the Reaper was responsible for Ironwood's condition, so it didn't take much working out to link the Reaper and the attack together.

"That's why we need to find Morrison." Blake replied. The rest of Team RWBY looked at the Faunus in confusion before speaking.

"Err...Blake? You do realise Morrison is dead, right?" Ruby asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion as the Faunus turned to face her.

"Maybe, but maybe there might be a clue at his grave." Blake replied, causing even more confusion.

"Blake, face the facts. The guy at the warehouse wasn't Morrison." Weiss retorted, earning nods from the other Huntresses in return.

"It was him Weiss, and I can prove it!" Blake said, turning sharply to face the Heiress.

"How?" Weiss questioned, stopping in her tracks alongside the others.

"After Ozpin found us, I did some digging." Blake explained, looking around in case any unfriendly eyes were watching. "Morrison and his team were buried in a crypt at the local graveyard. We might find some information about him there."

"What sort of information are we talking about?" Yang asked, crossing her arms as she spoke.

"I'm not sure, but if you're right and Morrison is in fact dead, there's bound to be some form of memorial from an admirer." Blake replied. As she spoke she was sounding less and less sure of herself, but she wouldn't forgive herself if she at least didn't check it out.

The rest of Team RWBY looked at one another, looks of doubt clearly etched on their face. It was nearly a full minute before anyone spoke.

"Well then," Yang said, a clear smirk on her face. "Let's go dig up some old bones."

"It's a crypt, Yang. You're not buried in a crypt." Weiss corrected, sighing loudly to herself. "Not to mention it's still illegal!"

"Only if you get caught." Yang quickly rebutted, grinning widely as she turned to walk towards the ships that transported students to the streets of Vale.

"It's still illegal!" Weiss shouted, quickly catching up with the blonde brawler, followed closely by Blake, who stopped when she noticed Ruby wasn't following.

"What's wrong Ruby?" Blake asked, turning to face the young reaper, who was looking from side to side, concern clearly written on her face.

"Shouldn't we go tell JNPR or even Mercury and Emerald what we're doing?" Ruby asked, looking around warily as she slowly joined the rest of her Team.

"Too many people looking around in the graveyard will only attract attention. Besides," Blake paused, looking around before continuing. "I don't trust them."

"Who? Mercury and Emerald?" Ruby asked, tilting her head inquisitively. Blake merely nodded in response, causing the other Huntresses to look at Blake in confusion.

"Why don't you trust them? They seem nice enough." Yang asked, causing Ruby to nod in agreement.

"I can't say for sure, but they seem...familiar somehow." Blake replied. She swore she had seen them somewhere else before, but couldn't quite place it.

"I will admit," Weiss added, causing the group to turn in her direction. "It is rather odd that they'd be so eager to help us."

"Look, we should focus on it another time." Blake quickly interrupted, not wanting to get knocked off track. "Right now, we have a tomb to visit."

The other three Huntresses nodded in agreement, turning once again towards the airships, not caring for the eyes watching them.

 **00000000**

Soldier 76 moved quickly through the backstreet's of Vale, hidden from the view of the citizens of Vale. He quickly vaulted over a wall, making his way closer to his destination. He hadn't meant to disappear on Winston like that, but he knew he would have asked questions he wasn't all too comfortable answering.

He glanced up at the air as the sound of a Bullhead's engines became louder. He quickly hugged the wall as the Military grade airship passed overhead before continuing. The sound of a crow cawing soon caught his attention as he soon spotted the black feathered bird, which in response swiftly flew away.

He was getting closer, that much was obvious.

He continued forward when a thin black rail came into view. Quickly vaulting over the obstacle, he continued to move, though admittedly slower then he had been before. The dead deserved his respect after all, most were innocent men and women that had died before their time. In the centre of the graveyard was a stone statue of a hooded, faceless being wielding a scythe whilst a pair of angelic wings were opened widely either side.

He continued along the dirt path, dipping his head low as he passed multiple gravestones. He continued until he came across a small crypt sitting upon the western side of the graveyard. The crypt was closed with no names written upon it, but he didn't need the names to know who was inside.

He gently grabbed hold of the door knob, pulling it softly as the great doors groaned. Light immediately beamed into the crypt, showing a flight of stairs that descended deep underground. He quickly flicked a switch on his visor, a beam of light quickly emitting from the right side of the mask. Slowly he descended the stairs, making sure to watch his step on the decrepit stone whilst his hand felt along the side of the wall.

Eventually, he made his way to the bottom of the crypt, where four stone sarcophagus' rested. No matter how many times he did this, it never got easier. And with what was going down in Vale right now, it was only going to get worse.

He sighed loudly as he clasped his hands together and bowed his head in silent prayer, reading the names on the sarcophagus' in his head.

Amélie Lacroix...Reinhardt Wilhelm...Gabriel Reyes and...John Morrison.

He sighed as he read out the last two names. If only he had done something different, if only he had been there for them things could have gone differently.

"Gabriel...I'm sorry I didn't listen..." He quietly muttered, moving his hands to the mask on his face and removing it. His eyes adjusted to the sudden change of lighting as he moved closer to Gabriel's sarcophagus, planting his hand on the corner of the lid and squeezing it tightly.

"I just pray that this isn't you causing all this death, but if it is...know this isn't easy." Soldier 76 admitted, rubbing his eyes as he turned to leave the tomb. As he turned however, something caught his eye. The lid of his sarcophagus was slightly ajar.

Confused, he turned to the lid, pushing it further ajar as he looked inside. As he gazed into the crypt, he froze. His hand reached down into the stone coffin and grasped a hold of one of the objects hidden inside.

A white tulip that had begun to show signs of decay.

His eyes widened as he looked at the near dead flower in his hands. He quickly placed the flower back in the coffin and his hand reached for the second item, a folded piece of paper. Before his hand could reach it however, he heard something. Footsteps and muffled voices in clear debate.

There was no time to investigate further it seemed. He quickly clipped the mask in his hands back on his head, the device locking onto his face with a hiss of compressed air. He then moved to place the sarcophagus' lid back on with all his strength as the sounds got louder. As the lid slid back into position, he turned to run up the stairs, but he felt as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

For now, he could find peace.

 **00000000**

"I still think this is a bad idea." Weiss complained as she stepped over multiple rocks and roots that were sticking out of the ground.

"Oh come on Weiss! Where is your sense of adventure?" Yang shouted back as she hopped over a decrepit log that was covered in fungus and lord knows what else.

"Don't you think we should be a little more careful?" Weiss asked as she carefully followed the rest of her Team through the graveyard. "Especially after what happened to FRYA?"

The other Huntresses went quiet at Weiss' statement. Team FRYA had barely been a minute out of Beacon when they were snatched. Eye witness accounts stated that a black shadow descended upon them before disappearing, taking FRYA with them.

"Meh..." Yang muttered as she continued on her path unabated.

Weiss sighed loudly at her Team-mates careless behaviour. As she stepped over another fallen log, she felt her foot squish on something soft. Looking down, she saw her shoe caked in what she hoped was mud. Weiss cringed as she wiped the 'mud' on the floor before continuing.

"I hate graveyards..." Weiss mumbled as she continued to walk forward.

The four Huntresses continued through the graveyard, making sure to not disturb the dead buried there. It didn't take long before they found themselves in the centre of the complex, looking around for any sign of a crypt.

"This place always gives me the creeps..." Ruby whimpered as she gazed at the statue, shivering slightly as she hurried along. All four Huntresses stopped when Blake spotted something out of place.

"What is it?" Yang asked, leaning forward as Blake knelt on the floor, her hand stroking the ground lightly.

"Tracks, Military Grade Boots by the looks of it." Blake replied as she quickly rose. "Someone's here, and judging from how fresh these tracks are, they've been here recently."

Before any of the other Huntresses could make a comment, the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching caught their attention. Turning to the sound, they found a man rapidly exiting a crypt before skidding to a halt upon spotting them. A man Blake immediately recognised.

"It's him!" Blake yelled, her eyes wide in shock.

The man quickly bolted to the right, heading towards the fencing of the graveyard.

"Don't worry, I've got him!" Yang shouted, activating _Ember Celica_ as she quickly ran forward to cut the man off.

"Yang! Wait!" Blake shouted as she attempted to grab the blonde brawler, but she was already out of reach.

"Don't worry, she can handle herself." Ruby replied, causing Blake to begrudgingly nod before turning to the crypt the man had ran from.

"You're right, let's see what he was doing here." Blake finally said, turning to rush towards the crypt, followed closely by Weiss and Ruby.

 **00000000**

Yang sprinted off ahead as Blake attempted to call her back, but she chose to ignore her. She had already nearly caught up with the man and she wasn't going to give up now. With a burst of _Ember Celica_ , she leaped into the air and barrelled towards the man, landing on his back with a grunt and causing him to fall onto the ground with a grunt. As he hit the floor, Yang rolled off and resumed a fighting stance as the man did likewise.

"Back off kid! I don't wanna hurt you!" the man warned, raising his fists slowly as he brought them close to his chest.

"Whatever you say pal..." Yang smirked, before charging towards the masked man.

The man quickly spun around and flipped her over his back, sending her to the floor. Yang quickly recovered and fired _Ember Celica_ again, the force sending her forward towards the man. The man followed suite and charged forward as well. Yang quickly fired a burst from _Ember Celica_ which was easily dodged by the assailant, who quickly flipped into the air and delivered a kick to Yang's jaw, sending her to the ground with a thud.

The man landed soon after and turned to run again. Yang quickly jumped up off the floor to see the man turn a corner into a nearby alleyway. Yang smirked at her good luck, she knew this place like the back of her hand and knew that led to a dead end. Yang quickly spun around the corner to see the man...gone.

"What the..." Yang muttered as she looked around for any sign of the mysterious individual. But so far, there was nothing. Not even a sign that he'd been here. Yang narrowed her eyes as she slowly backed away, before turning around and sprinting back towards the graveyard.

 **00000000**

Blake, Weiss and Ruby approached the crypt, looking down the darkened hallway that descended underground. Quickly taking her scroll out, Blake activated the device's torch app, lighting up the passageway before them. Slowly descending down the stairwell, they found themselves in a large room with four sarcophagus' inside.

"Who are they?" Ruby whispered, leaning forward to inspect the plaques on the front.

"Let's see..." Blake replied, scanning the plaques on the front of the sarcophagus'. "Amélie Lacroix...Reinhardt Wilhelm...Gabriel Reyes...and John Morrison."

"JAGR..." Weiss whispered back, causing Blake to silently nod her head. Blake then went to move forward, only for Weiss to grab her. "What are you doing?!"

"Checking the coffin..." Blake replied, turning around only for Weiss to pull her back again.

"Don't you think that's a little disrespectful!" Weiss hissed, only for the Faunus to brush her hand away.

"We've not come this far just to stop!" Blake retorted, turning to the lid of Morrison's sarcophagus and pushing it open with all her might.

Eventually, she managed to push the stone coffin open and looked in shock at what was within. Not the body of John Morrison, but a decaying white flower and a folded piece of paper.

"What is it?" Ruby asked as she leaned closer to Blake. Blake replied by simply passing the two items to the young reaper.

"That's a tulip...but why is it all decayed?" Weiss asked, taking the dead flower from Ruby's hand.

Ruby shrugged as she unfolded the piece of paper in her hands. As she unfolded it, it soon became apparent it was a photograph. The picture showed John Morrison and who she could only assume was Gabriel Reyes standing side by side with wide grins painted on their faces.

"They look...happy..." Ruby commented as she passed the picture to Weiss, who then passed it to Blake.

"His body isn't here..." Blake replied, gesturing to the sarcophagus. "Now do you believe me?"

"This doesn't prove anything." Weiss huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "For all we know-"

Weiss was cut off when the sounds of footsteps descending caught their attention. As they turned, they were met by none other then Yang, who was clearly out of breath.

"Yang! You okay?" Ruby asked, rushing up to her sister who quickly nodded as she took a deep breath.

"The guy got away." Yang explained, looking up to face Blake and Weiss. "One second he was there, the next he was gone."

"What were you thinking running off like that?!" Weiss scolded, sending a glare towards Yang who merely rolled her eyes in response. "You could have gotten killed!"

"Look, it doesn't matter now!" Blake quickly interrupted, intercepting the two Huntresses in an attempt to calm Weiss down. "We should get going, it'll be dark soon."

The other members of Team RWBY nodded as they ascended the stairwell, ready to leave the god forsaken crypt and hopefully not come back. Suddenly and without warning, the crypt doors suddenly slammed shut, the sound of a lock sliding coming soon after.

"What the hell?!" Yang shouted as she pounded on the crypt door, attempting to pull the door open.

"What just happened?!" Weiss frantically asked as Yang continued to hit the door, yet to no avail.

"Guys..." Blake whispered, causing the other three Huntresses to turn their attention to the Faunus, who was looking around warily, fear clear in her eyes. "I think we're trapped."

 **00000000**

 **Dun dun dun! What will happen next? Find out next time. If you liked the chapter, feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Leave in your review and I'll answer them next time around.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	11. Breakout

**Hello and welcome back my friends to the next chapter of Reap What You Sow. The Beta for Overwatch is back with some sweet new additions, so I thought I would add a sort of sweet new addition to this fan-fic. First up, review response time. JinzoMask656; Thank you for the compliment and I hope not to disappoint. OutlastTheDark; yeah, Reaper is one heck of a killing machine and one would shudder to think what the two groups could accomplish. And yes, I did steal the Imp line from WoW for Mercury! Blake just wants to make sure she has a wide range of skills for later on in life to put on her CV! Yeah, shit does tend to go down when half the Police force is killed by a psychopath. And too soon bro! Too soon! And as for the whole tomb thing, well I'm sure you'll figure that out soon… Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 11- Breakout**

"Come on...why won't this stupid door budge!" Yang shouted as she pushed against the door in an attempt to open it, yet it did not even groan under the applied pressure.

"Face it Yang, we aren't getting out any time soon..." Blake stated, tracing patterns on the stone stairway with _Gambol Shroud_.

Yang had been attempting to open the door for over an hour now, yet the only thing her punches seemed to accomplish was wear her gloves down, her knuckles starting to show through the fabric.

"Where there's a will..." Yang started as she quickly readjusted herself in an attempt to apply more pressure to the door. "...there's a way!"

"Come on Yang, you need to rest!" Ruby whined, standing up from the spot she had been sitting in and placing her hand on Yang's shoulder. "Please...before you hurt yourself."

Yang sighed as she relented her assault on the metal door, slumping against the wall and sliding down into a sitting position next to her sister.

"How's Weiss' search going?" Yang asked, turning to face Ruby as she spoke, glancing down the dark stairway that Weiss had descended earlier.

"Still no signal on the Scrolls, but she's still trying." Ruby replied, taking out her own scroll to check if the signal had improved at all.

"This is all my fault..."

The two sisters turned to face Blake who had her head lowered and her eyes closed, shaking her head slowly.

"What are you talking about?" Ruby asked, tilting her head inquisitively.

"I made you come here, none of this would have happened otherwise." Blake replied, lifting her head slowly as she looked at the two sisters.

"None of us knew this would happen Blake." Yang replied, turning to direct her gaze at Blake. "If we knew we'd get trapped, none of us would have come in the first place."

Blake simply turned her head, directing her gaze somewhere else as she contemplated what Yang said.

"Besides," Yang said, a mischievous grin on her face. "I always wanted to get caught in some tomb trap!"

"It's a crypt you dolt!" Weiss suddenly interrupted, walking up the stairway towards the rest of her team. "And crypts don't have traps in them."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Blake asked, turning to face the heiress with an upraised eyebrow.

"A crypt doesn't have any defence mechanisms. It's a public place for mourning." Weiss quickly explained.

"What are you trying to say Weiss?" Yang asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"We didn't trigger some fail-safe." Weiss replied, a sombre look on her face. "Someone locked us in here..."

"What?" Ruby simply stated, her mouth slightly agape as she took the information in.

"You mean someone was watching us the whole time?" Blake asked, a panicked look in her eyes.

Weiss simply nodded in response, turning to face Yang who seemed to be in deep thought.

"I thought I saw something..." Yang muttered, causing the others to stare at the brawler in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, turning to face her sister.

"When I first came back after chasing that guy...I thought I saw something in the graveyard..."

"What did it look like?" Blake asked, shuffling slightly as she leaned forward slightly.

"It looked like...a shadow or something." Yang replied, squinting as she struggled to recall its exact appearance. "It looked human but...it had a skull on its face.."

"A skull?" Weiss asked, as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you sure you didn't just see one of the angel of death statues?"

"No I'm telling you, it-"

Yang was suddenly interrupted when Ruby's Scroll buzzed to life, causing everyone to look at the young Huntress in confusion.

"What the..." Ruby muttered as she activated the device, the screen lighting up as it showed a new message from an anonymous source. "A new message?"

"What does it say?" Weiss asked, tilting her head as Ruby opened the message to read it.

"It says...'Soon'?" Ruby read aloud as she gazed at the screen in confusion. "What the hell is 'Soon' meant to mean?"

"Wait...do you still have the signal?" Blake asked, leaning closer to Ruby as the young Huntress checked her settings.

"Yeah..." Ruby quickly replied, already bringing up her contact list. "Don't worry, already on it."

As Ruby brought up her contact list, the rest of the Huntresses clung to the hope that just maybe they'll make it out.

 **00000000**

"It's a shame what happened to Ironwood." Pyrrha stated, turning to face Jaune who was currently reading the latest issue of 'X-Ray and Vav'.

"Yeah, you think he'll make it?" Jaune replied, looking up from his comic for just a second before redirecting his gaze again.

"The General is strong willed." Ren said as he looked up from his report on Aura strength levels whilst Nora laid on the bed next to him, mumbling about pancakes as per usual. "I'm sure he'll pull through."

"Still," Pyrrha muttered, glancing away for just a second before continuing. "I can't imagine the pain he must have endured. What could do something like that."

"Grimm maybe?" Jaune suggested, shrugging his shoulders as he lowered his comic and placed it to the side of his bed.

"Not likely, if it was a Grimm there would be nothing left." Ren stated, turning to face his leader. "Those wounds the General had seemed almost surgical. Pre-planned as it were."

"What are you saying?" Jaune asked, shrugging his shoulders in confusion.

"Someone wanted Ironwood to get back to Beacon." Ren grimly replied, before turning to continue his report.

Jaune's Scroll suddenly buzzed to life as it started vibrating on the bedside table next to him. He quickly picked it up, sliding his finger on the screen as he answered the call.

"Hello?" Jaune asked, only to receive a large amount of white noise in response.

" _Jaune? -BZZZZKT- hear me?"_

Jaune had to strain his ears to make out the voice but he could only slightly make it out.

"Ruby? Is that you? What's wrong with your signal?" Jaune asked, slightly concerned with the young Huntresses panicked voice.

" _Jaune, we're -BZZZZKT- crypt! We need -BZZZZKT-"_

"Ruby, I can hear you! You're breaking up!" Jaune replied, though the only response was more white noise.

"What was that all about?" Pyrrha asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"PANCAKES!" Nora suddenly snorted as she suddenly awoke, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she looked at the rest of her team, who were looking at her in slight confusion. "What? Were you guys talking about something?"

"Errr..." Jaune awkwardly replied before recomposing himself. "It was Ruby, it sounded like she was in trouble."

"Did she say where she was?" Pyrrha asked, standing up from her bed as Jaune did the same.

"It was impossible to tell, but I think she mentioned a crypt." Jaune replied as he quickly grabbed _Crocea Mors_ _from_ his bedside table, quickly clipping the weapon to his belt.

"That sounds like the old graveyard..." Ren replied, as he too quickly grabbed _StormFlower_.

"My thoughts exactly." Jaune replied as Pyrrha grabbed _Mil_ _ó_ and _Akoúo_ whilst Nora grabbed _Magnhild._

"How far is it from Beacon?" Pyrrha asked as she ensured _Miló_ could easily shift between its multiple forms.

"About fifteen minutes there and back." Jaune replied as he quickly opened the door. "Come on, we need to go before something bad happens!"

The rest of JNPR quickly nodded as they followed their leader to the hangar bay, hoping to make it to the graveyard before that 'something bad' happened…

 **00000000**

"I hope Jaune got the message..." Ruby muttered as she rocked back on forth on the stairway, her arms wrapped around her legs.

"He may not be a good fighter, but he's not stupid." Yang replied as she flexed her hands before placing them behind her head. "I'm sure he got the message."

Ruby grunted in response as she continued to glance at the floor. It had nearly been ten minutes since they last contacted Jaune yet it felt like it had been hours. To say she was bored was an understatement. She was also pretty sure this isolation was bad for her mental health as well. She was already starting to hear soft whispers in the back of her mind...wait, whispers?

She glanced around as the whispers continued. She couldn't make it out but she felt cold...and not in a natural way.

"Ruby? What is it?" Yang asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion as she watched the young Huntress glance around in panic.

"Do you hear that?" Ruby whispered, causing the other Huntresses to look at one another in confusion.

"What are you-" Weiss paused as she began to hear it too. "Wait. It sounds like..."

"A voice." Blake finished as she slowly rose from her position. She focused her hearing capabilities down the crypt stairway in an attempt to discern the voice. "It's coming from down there." she finally replied, pointing down the stairway.

The Huntresses followed the Faunus down the path as they descended deeper into the crypt. They soon found themselves back in the main hall where the four sarcophagus' of Team JAGR rested. Yet the whispers did not become louder. In fact, they seemed to grow harsher and the air thicker.

"Show yourself!" Weiss demanded, quickly drawing _Myrtenaster_ as she readied herself into a combat stance.

Without warning, a black mist slowly began to seep through one of the many small cracks in the wall, spilling onto the stone cold floor. The four Huntresses backed away slowly as the form slowly began to take shape, seemingly taking on the form of a human.

"Uh...what do we do?" Yang asked as she slowly backed away as the form grew larger and larger with each passing second.

"Run!" Ruby quickly shouted as the four Huntresses turned tail quickly as the mist began to take on more distinguishable features.

The four Huntresses quickly ran up the stairway, only for the locked door to once again block their path.

"Dammit, screw what I said earlier! I never want to get caught in a tomb trap again!" Yang shouted as she pounded on the door.

"Uh guys...I think we have company..." Ruby stated as she pointed a shaking hand at the bottom of the stairway.

The other Huntresses turned and looked in horror at the bottom of the stairway. The mist had finally taken form in the shape of a black robed man in dull grey armour, a skull like mask hiding his face. In each hand was a crude looking shotgun with sickle blades attached at the handle...and they were slowly making their way up the stairs.

"I take it he's not here to say hi..." Yang whimpered as the figure slowly made his way up the stairs.

Weiss quickly stepped forward as she channelled a number of glyphs in front of the figure, who seemed to ignore the runic symbols. With a swish of her blade, a thick wall of ice suddenly morphed, blocking the figures path, who they could faintly see through the ice was very surprised.

"That should keep him at bay..." Weiss stated, slowly backing away towards the door.

"For how long?" Blake asked as she began to push against the door alongside Yang.

The sound of a bullet resounding was soon heard as the Huntresses turned to face the ice wall. They could make out the figure was shooting at the wall, and doing some major damage if the cracks were any indication.

"Not long enough!" Weiss replied as she soon joined the other Huntresses in pushing against the door, the sound of the shotguns getting louder with each shot.

"Now would be a good time for JNPR to show!" Ruby shouted, as she continued to push against the door…

 **00000000**

"This the place?" Pyrrha asked as she glanced towards Jaune. Jaune simply stared blankly at the area in front of him, row after row of gravestones popping up in front of him like a stone labyrinth.

"I think so..." Jaune replied as he and his team made their way through the graveyard, shuddering slightly as they passed the resting places of past Huntsman and Huntresses.

They soon found themselves in the centre of the graveyard, gazing around as they made out multiple crypts in the area.

"So, where do we start?" Nora asked as she looked around, shuddering slightly at the sight of the faceless statue before her.

"We should go clockwise with the crypts." Jaune responded, pointing to the crypt on the eastern side. "We start there and then-"

"Wait!" Pyrrha interrupted, holding her hand up as she narrowed her eyes. "Do you hear that?"

Jaune stood quiet as he attempted to make out what Pyrrha was hearing.

"No I-wait." Jaune mumbled as he suddenly heard something. "It sounds like banging and...gunshots."

"It sounds like it's coming from over there." Ren stated, pointing to one of the crypts on the west side of the graveyard.

JNPR made their way to the crypt, and true to Ren's judgement, the noises were getting louder.

"Guys, is that you?" Jaune shouted as he pressed his ear against the door, the metal cold to the touch.

"Jaune? Thank God you're here!" Ruby shouted from the other side, though the banging did not relent...and neither did the gun fire.

"What's going on?!" Jaune asked as he attempted to tug open the door, yet to no avail.

"We got locked in, open the door now!" Ruby shouted, clearly panicked.

"Ruby, my wall won't last much longer!" Weiss shouted as the gun fire was getting louder.

"Hurry Jaune, before he breaks through!" Ruby pleaded as the banging continued. Jaune quickly began to tug at the door as Ren and Nora frantically searched around for a key.

"It's no use, it won't budge!" Jaune said as he continued to pull on the door.

"Stand back Jaune." Pyrrha ordered as she tugged Jaune back, placing her hands on the metal door.

Suddenly the door began to glow a deep black as Pyrrha focused her Semblance on the door. She soon began to step back and make subtle gestures with her hands as the sound of gears shifting was heard.

Without warning, the door suddenly opened as the members of RWBY soon piled out as they quickly scampered out of the crypt, a blueish white glow behind them.

"I never thought I would be so happy to see you, Vomit Boy!" Yang stuttered as she quickly backed away from the crypt.

"What's going on?!" Jaune shouted as he looked at the four Huntresses in confusion.

"Look!" Blake shouted as she pointed inside the crypt, fear weaved into her voice.

Jaune followed her gaze and froze. The blueish white glow was originating from a wall of ice...a wall that was close to breaking. Suddenly, a metal fist punched through the ice as a clawed hand grasped onto the ice barrier. The arm soon turned into a black mist as a stream of shadow sped towards them.

Pyrrha reacted instantly, slamming the door shut with her Semblance as the mist took the form of a robed man with a pair of sickles, one of which was raised over his head. The door shut with a resounding bang as the sound of gears shifting was heard again, locking the man inside. RWBY sighed in relief as the rest of JNPR looked at one another in both shock and confusion.

"Guys, mind explaining what that was all about?" Jaune asked as RWBY looked at one another in guilt.

As Blake moved to talk, the sound of metal groaning was heard behind them. They turned to face the crypt and were horrified to see the door was shaking uncontrollably. Suddenly, black mist began to seep through the door frames, spilling around as it slowly made its way through.

"Quick, this way!" Ruby shouted as she and the other students ran to safety, hoping leave the graveyard long behind them.

The two teams ran as the mist seeped through the door at a slow pace, allowing them time to escape. The Reaper soon emerged, armed with _Death's Vice_ in their shotgun form as he made his way through the graveyard. By the time he had made it to the main entrance, the two Hunter Teams had already left his sight.

He growled loudly as he quickly holstered the weapon in his left hand and rested the one in his right hand on his shoulder. He quickly brought out his Scroll as he typed a few commands onto the device before he placed the Scroll back in his robe.

"Time to make an example of these fools..." the Reaper muttered, turning around as he slowly melded with the shadows around him…

 **00000000**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter and join me next week. Don't forget to review and constructive criticism is welcome. Any questions? Leave in your review or PM me and I'll answer next chapter.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	12. The Warning

**Another day, another chapter. As you may well know, Volume three ended on a damn low note and also ruined some of my plans for this story. Well played Miles and Kerry...well played. But not to worry, only some minor changes to the plot will happen. Now, review response time. OutlastTheDark; yeah I think Reaper watches one too many horror films if you ask me. I was also going for the whole 'shit in your pants' vibe when Reaper punched through the wall. And as for the Reaper...he still has a few tricks up his sleeve. And Guest; once the Reaper has you in his sights...it'll be a lot of work for whoever has to clean it up is all I'll say. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 12- The Warning**

Winston sighed internally as he continued to type away at the keyboard, issuing commands to the data-base. It had been nearly an hour since Soldier 76 had left, not that he was concerned for the vigilante that is. But it would have helped to have known where he was going and what he was doing.

He sighed as he continued to update the multiple systems in the data-base. Normally, he would enjoy doing such a task. He would often update the data-base to include the most recent anti-virus protection software, or even just for the fun of it some times. But this time was different.

Some time after Soldier 76 had left, he had received a message from an anonymous source merely stating 'Soon'. He didn't need to be told who sent the message, he knew it was the Reaper. The question was however, what did it mean? Was he planning an assault on Overwatch? Was he going to attempt to hack the system again?

It was these questions and more that had been festering in his mind. He had spent the majority of his time since updating the data-bases defence matrix as well as arming all available 'Bastion' units in choke points across the former Academy. They would tear apart anything that came within range and wasn't recognised on their sensors.

As he continued to download updates, he paused. Something wasn't right, he could feel it. He listened carefully when he finally managed to make out a noise. Footsteps. And they were approaching at a steady pace. He quietly made his way from his seat to the wall, careful not to make any noise himself. He pressed his ear against the wall and continued to listen. To a human, the footsteps were almost silent. But to a Faunus, they were loud and clear.

Whoever it was, they were doing their best to remain quiet. How had the 'Bastion' units not picked them up? The only signatures they would recognise are his own and…

Winston smiled slightly as he realised just who it was. As he heard the figure getting ready to turn the corner, he readied himself. First thing that came into view was his foot, then the leg, then the torso and chest and then finally the head. Before they could even step foot into the room, Winston sent a punch directly into the side of his head, sending the figure flying into the wall.

Winston was however surprised that upon hitting the wall, the figure merely disintegrated into a large amount of blue pixels that faded away into nothing. Winston moved forward, somewhat curious at what had happened, attempting to grab onto some of the pixels only for them to fade faster.

"You think I'd fall for that trick?"

Winston turned at the sound of the voice, and was greeted by Soldier 76 leaning on the door frame, a small white sphere in his hand which he nonchalantly threw into the air before catching it.

"One can always hope can't they?" Winston asked as Soldier 76 chucked the object towards him, catching it with ease in his large hands. "This isn't safe to use yet you know. You're lucky it didn't fry you..."

"Luck is a strong word..." Soldier 76 replied, crossing his arms as he continued to lean on the frame.

"Where were you anyway?" Winston asked, inspecting the small sphere before placing it to the side. "You never said."

"I was...busy." Soldier 76 said, turning his head away from the Faunus as he spoke, not meeting his gaze.

"I see..." Winston replied, narrowing his eyes slightly. He would have to enquire later it seemed, perhaps when things were less...hectic. "I trust it went well?"

"You could say that..." Soldier 76 muttered before he stepped forward, turning to face the screen Winston had been working on. "What's with all the dust buckets out back though? Expecting company?"

"I'm not sure yet..." Winston replied, striding towards the screen as Soldier 76 followed closely behind him. "Whilst you were out, I received a message from an anonymous source..."

"A message?" Soldier 76 asked, tilting his head inquisitively as he stared at the Faunus.

"Yes." Winston replied, quickly bringing up the message he had received. "All the message stated was the word 'Soon'."

"That's weird..." Soldier 76 whispered, though judging by the sound of his voice he seemed confused.

"What is it?" Winston asked when he noticed the stance of the vigilante. In reply, Soldier 76 quickly took out his own Scroll, switching it on and passing it to Winston. Despite the cracked screen, Winston could make out a single word.

'Soon'.

Almost immediately, the Scroll suddenly started to crackle as the screen suddenly went out, replaced by a static black and white screen.

"What the hell..." Soldier 76 looked up from his Scroll to see that the exact same thing was happening to Winston's screen. "Winston!"

Winston turned and gasped as he quickly sprinted towards the device, attempting to gain control. "What's happening?"

"What is it Winston?!" Soldier 76 frantically asked as suddenly more of the monitors in the room switched on, displaying the same static screen as the other devices.

"I'm not sure..." Winston whispered as he looked at the screen, the static still present.

Soldier 76 quickly turned heel and ran, followed closely by Winston. Both quickly made for the exit of the building and burst through the doors of the complex. What they saw only confused them further. All around, electronic devices were randomly switching on, revealing the same static screen that had appeared in the base. Even multiple scavengers who were passing by were taking out their Scrolls as they attempted to switch the devices off, only to fail miserably.

"What's going on?!" Soldier 76 shouted as the static continued to buzz around them.

"I think whoever sent that message is ready..." Winston whispered as the static screens continued to buzz loudly.

 **00000000**

"What the hell were you guys thinking?!" Jaune shouted as he paced around in Team JNPR's dorm hastily, the members of Team RWBY sat on one of the beds with their heads low. "If we didn't come in time, you'd all be dead!"

"We're sorry Jaune! Really, we are!" Ruby replied, looking up to face the blonde knight who had an incredulous look on his face.

"We know you want to catch this killer, but you should have told us!" Ren calmly stated, though his eyes clearly showed how angry he was. "If Ruby hadn't managed to send a message to us, you would be dead alongside everyone else."

"Look, it's my fault. I made them go with me!" Blake finally said, looking up from the floor and meeting the other members of JNPR face on. "They wanted to let you know, but I made them go!"

"Maybe Ozpin is right..." Pyrrha stated, causing everyone to turn and look at her. "Maybe we should stop the investigation."

"We can't Pyrrha, not when we've come this far!" Blake retorted, standing up as she spoke.

"Blake, so far we've found out a guy who died nearly twenty years ago is still alive!" Yang reasoned, leaning forward slightly. "I wouldn't call that good progress."

"John Morrison is the only lead we have so far!" Blake replied, turning to face the blonde brawler sharply. "We can't just give up now!"

"Blake, half of the VPD was wiped out by this guy!" Weiss said, standing up to face the Faunus. "I say we should probably get out while we still can, before we get too deep!"

"And what, let the authorities handle it?!" Blake shouted, gesturing to the door of JNPR's room. "You said so yourself, the authorities were nearly wiped out by this guy!"

"You seriously don't think we could do better?!" Jaune asked, raising his eyebrows as he spoke.

"We have to at least tr-"

Blake was cut off when she felt her Scroll vibrate in her pocket. She quickly took it out and switched the device on, only to receive a screen full of static. She wasn't alone however. The other Hunters and Huntresses in the room quickly took their Scrolls out of their pockets, only to receive the same static screen she had.

The members of RWBY and JNPR looked at one another in confusion before they heard a commotion outside. Quickly opening the door, they tilted their heads out the doorway to see multiple students in the corridor looking at the screens of their Scrolls in confusion. RWBY and JNPR quickly left the dorm, making their way through the corridor as more and more students were taking out their Scrolls.

"What's going on?" Jaune asked as the two Teams made their way to the main amphitheatre, where the screen on the wall was also static.

Suddenly, the screen went black as a video started. Little could be made out, but what was obvious was that it was of a person. Mutters went around the room as many tried to discern the figure, though both RWBY and JNPR recognised them in seconds.

"It's him! The guy from the crypt!" Ruby whispered loudly, pointing at the screen with a shaking hand.

" _People of Vale...I trust I have your attention?"_ the figure asked, leaning forward slightly and letting his masked face enter the small ray of light beaming down from above him. _"I need no introduction, for you all know who I am...even if we haven't met face to face."_

The amphitheatre buzzed with noise as those gathered muttered quietly amongst one another. He was right, they did know who he was. Whilst the mutters were all from different people one word stood out amongst the others. Reaper.

" _By now, you are all aware of what I have been doing...and most of you have kept out of my way."_ the Reaper continued, tilting his head back slightly. _"However, some of you have taken it upon themselves to try and stop me! Such as this one!"_

The Reaper then paused as he knelt down and seemingly hefted something off the floor. When the Reaper came into view again, he was now holding a young girl up against him, her head tilted to the side with one of his Shotguns pointed to the side of her head. She was unconscious, but all present in the hall recognised her.

"It's Fey from Team FRYA!" Weiss gasped as her hand went to cover her mouth. The young Huntress looked as though she had been tortured if the cuts and bruises were anything to go by. A knot soon began to form in the Heiress' stomach as she realised how this would most likely end.

" _This one amongst others tried to stop me. She put up a good fight too..."_ the Reaper chuckled as he readjusted his grip on the Huntress, squeezing her cheeks together as he gently shook her head, emitting a pained groan from the girl. _"...Shame her team didn't make it though. What happens next would have come off a lot stronger if they had."_

Gasps of both horror and disgust came from the gathered crowd of Hunters and Huntresses in training, all while Team RWBY and JNPR looked on in horror, slowly bringer their hands to their mouths in a similar fashion to Weiss.

" _I have a message for you 'Hunters' and 'Huntresses'! As well as for anyone else who might try and stop me!"_ the Reaper stated, readjusting his grip again as he faced the camera, his hand once again gripping her shoulder as he lifted his Shotgun up slightly. _"Leave well enough alone! Your curiosity will be the death of you! And for those of you who STILL don't get the message, you'd better hope if you catch me, you kill me! Because if you don't, this will be the price of failure..."_

As he finished his speech, the sound of a gun clicking could be heard as the students suddenly began to plead at the screen, begging for the Reaper to stop whatever he was planning to do. Seconds later, a flash of red appeared alongside the sound of a gun firing, though it was nearly drowned out by the chorus of screaming in the room, some of shock whilst most were of horror. Team RWBY and JNPR could only watch in horror at the sight before them, Ruby clutching onto Yang as she buried her face into her side as Yang quickly hugged her back, hoping to hide away the horror on the screen.

The Reaper merely grunted as he dropped the smoking Shotgun onto the floor as well as dropping what was left of the former Huntress carelessly on the floor, not caring to wipe away the blood and bone that was now covering a good portion of his coat.

" _You've been warned..."_ the Reaper silently said, before switching of the camera, the screen in the amphitheatre once again returning to its normal state.

The students in the room all gave off different reactions. Some were of anger and frustration at not being able to stop this mad man from doing what he did. Those who had been close to FRYA wept as they began to comfort one another, in some cases to hide their own grief. Some students just stood in shock, still attempting to wrap their mind around what they had seen. Others on the other hand, quickly sprinted to the nearest bin, throwing up whatever they had eaten earlier that day.

Team RWBY and JNPR stood in shock, their hands still at their mouths as Yang continued to hold Ruby, gently patting the red hooded Huntresses back.

"He just-he just killed her..." Weiss managed to say, gulping loudly as she fought back tears.

"I can't believe it..." Jaune muttered, staggering back slightly before he turned to face Blake. "She's right, we can't stop now."

"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, turning to face the blonde knight.

"Blake's right, we have to find this guy!" Jaune explained, pointing at the screen once occupied by the Reaper.

"Jaune, you saw what happened!" Blake reasoned, a look of fear on her face.

"Which is why we have to stop him!" Jaune retorted, holding his hands up exasperatedly. "If we don't stop him, he'll only kill more people! It's our job to protect people, no matter who they are!"

"Jaune, if he catches us, we'll end up just like FRYA..." Pyrrha warned, placing her hand on Jaune's shoulder.

"I know..." Jaune sighed, letting his hands fall to his side. "But that won't happen!"

The members of RWBY and JNPR looked at one another before determined grins spread across their faces.

"Lets go catch us a psychopath!" Yang stated, cracking her knuckles together.

 **00000000**

Ozpin watched with balled fists as the Reaper executed Fey, his grip strong enough to nearly snap the handle on his coffee mug off. His rage only intensified when the murderer carelessly chucked the young Huntresses corpse aside, stating that his message had been sent. The Reaper then leaned forward to switch off his recording device. Ozpin half expected his screen to return to normal, but was surprised when the screen did not even glitch out, the Reaper still present on his screen.

" _Now only you can hear me Ozpin, and anyone else you have in this room."_ the Reaper muttered, leaning forward as he stole a glance at the corpse next to him. _"I trust you enjoyed the show?"_

Ozpin merely glared at the masked murderer, who merely chuckled as the Headmaster remained silent.

" _Come now, is silence really how you're going to treat an old friend?"_ the Reaper asked, tilting his head to the side.

"The man I knew and taught was not a killer." Ozpin stated, his glare only intensifying with each second. "You're just a shadow of a once good man."

" _Don't act so high and mighty Ozpin!"_ the Reaper growled, pointing a clawed finger at the Headmaster. _"You can point the finger all you want but let us not forget it was YOU who made me what I am! All this blood is on your hands!"_

"You chose that path!" Ozpin retorted, leaning forward himself. "You chose to become a monster!"

" _Is that what I am then? A monster?"_ the Reaper muttered, leaning back slightly. _"Not one of your 'failed prodigies'?"_

"Why have you called me?" Ozpin asked, his voice dangerously low. "I take it you didn't call me to simply whine about the past."

" _You know why I'm doing this Ozpin."_ the Reaper muttered, crossing his arms as he spoke. _"And I'm giving you the chance to put a stop to it. All this death and destruction can end, if you comply."_

"And what are your 'demands'?" Ozpin asked, raising his eyebrow inquisitively. "Money? Land? A clean slate?"

" _None of that, what you have to do is simple..."_ the Reaper replied, leaning forward before speaking. _"Confess."_

"And what must I confess to?" Ozpin asked, shrugging his shoulders innocently. "My love of caffeine?"

" _Don't play games with me Ozpin!"_ the Reaper seethed, his eyes glowing red slightly in the black sockets of his mask. _"You know full well what I'm talking about!"_

"Whilst that may be true, I'm afraid you're hunting the wrong man!" Ozpin replied, leaning back slightly. "Now I insist you take your demands elsewhere! Beacon doesn't negotiate with psychopaths!"

" _Psychopath? I'm not a psychopath..."_ the Reaper chuckled as he leaned forward. _"...I'm a high functioning psychopath!"_

Ozpin narrowed his eyes as he glared at the mad man, who simply sighed as he lowered his shoulders slightly.

" _I must admit, I am disappointed with you decision..."_ the Reaper sighed as he shook his head slowly before sending his own glare at Ozpin. _"...expect my reply shortly!"_

And with that, the Reaper disconnected his video feed, causing Ozpin's screen to revert back to his previous state. Ozpin left no time to waste, he quickly tapped on the screen in front of him as he sent a message to someone who could hopefully deal with this mad man.

"Qrow, you need to get here now! It's an emergency..."

 **00000000**

 **Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you liked it, feel free to review and constructive criticism is always welcome. Any questions? Leave in your reviews and I'll answer in the next chapter.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	13. The Price of Resistance

**Another day, another chapter. I'd like to thank you all for your continued support and most importantly for putting up with the BS that appear in these chapters. Now, review response time! Cody the Worldwalker; glad you both liked and spotted the reference, I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. OutlastTheDark; of course the Reaper is a gentleman, a psychotic killer just isn't a psychotic killer without manners. ChidoriKilledTheBatman; actually, the quote was a reference to one of Reaper's unlockable quotes, "I'm not a psychopath...I'm a high functioning psychopath!" which itself is probably a Sherlock reference. You'll find a lot of Reaper quotes in this fic, trust me. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 13- The Price of Resistance**

 **One week after FRYA's execution…**

"I asked for information Mercury, not another dead end!" Cinder shouted, her eyes flaring brightly to convey her anger perfectly.

"Look, I'm sorry boss! We've found nothing on this 'Reaper' guy!" Mercury quickly replied, throwing his arms into the air in defeat. "No data, no voice matches, nothing!"

"I understand that finding a perfect match will be difficult..." Cinder seethed, her hands curling into balled fists as she slowly paced forward to Mercury who backed away quickly. "But my patience grows thin with every day you return empty handed!"

"Whoever this guy is Cinder, he knows how to cover his tracks." Emerald quickly butted in, causing the false Maiden to turn and face her. "This guy is just too good, he even puts my Semblance to shame!"

Cinder simply narrowed her eyes as she glared at the former thief. It was not a hate filled glare, but it was enough to make the thief back away slowly. Cinder then turned back to Mercury who had now backed away into a corner, like a rat cornered by a cat.

"And what about our 'colleagues'? Have they found anything out?" Cinder asked, her tone now passive, which earned a quick sigh of relief from the silver haired assassin.

"If they have, they haven't told us." Mercury replied, earning a grunt of agreement from Emerald. "The Faunus, Blake, still doesn't trust us."

"And unfortunately for us, she's basically leading this show." Emerald quickly added, leaning against the wall with crossed arms.

Cinder frowned at this. Adam's former 'concubine' was certainly a thorn in her side. It would be easy to just make her disappear, even more so with the 'Reaper' on the prowl, but Adam had a particular treat in mind for her. Her train of thought was suddenly interrupted by an alert on her Scroll. She quickly opened the device, revealing a message from Neopolitan. A message that might actually lead them somewhere.

"Perhaps I've been too harsh with you..." Cinder said, a sinister smile spreading across her face. This sudden change in mood quickly caught the attention of Mercury and Emerald, who simply glanced at one another before turning to face Cinder.

"What do you mean…?" Emerald asked, her voice cautiously low.

"Perhaps the problem is our approach." Cinder replied, casually tossing the Scroll to Emerald who clumsily caught the device. Emerald quickly observed the message, her face contorting into a confused frown as Mercury quickly peered over her shoulder, his face showing even more confusion.

The message simply showed a Gorilla Faunus in white armour, strolling casually into the ruins of an old Academy. Both assassin and thief looked up to face Cinder who was now holding her hand aloft, an orb of fire hovering over her open palm.

"I think it's about time we made a 'house call'..."

 **00000000**

"Found anything yet?" Blake asked as she casually strolled into the library, placing a large pile of books and old newspapers down on the table with a thud, causing the combined members of RWBY and JNPR to look up from their desks and stare at the pile of paperwork.

"Nothing of relevance yet, sorry." Jaune replied, quickly looking down at the newspaper in his hands.

"Keep looking, we have to find something soon." Blake quickly replied, taking the newspaper on the top of the pile and quickly looking through it.

Ruby was having trouble concentrating on her work, subtly taking sneak peaks from a weapon magazine she had subscribed to when she was confident no one was looking. Weiss was too engrossed into her work to even notice the young leader's behaviour, reading multiple articles on the recent attacks to find any clues that may have been missed. Blake was quickly skimming through the old stack of newspapers, paying particular interest into the ones detailing the corruption of Overwatch. Yang was slipping ever so slowly to sleep, trying her best to not just doze off and fall asleep on the newspaper in front of her, lazily flipping through the pages. Jaune, Pyrrha and Ren were all engrossed in their work, reading through newspapers and case studies whilst Nora had fallen asleep long ago, not even the subtle nudges from Ren being enough to wake her up.

"Hey, check this out!" Yang quickly muttered, causing the other members of RWBY and JNPR (minus Nora) to quickly turn and face the blonde brawler who had suddenly become very interested in the article in front of her.

"What is it?" Pyrrha asked, leaning forward slightly as she stared at the newspaper in Yang's hands.

"It's an article on Overwatch, how it got shut down." Yang explained, quickly pointing to the article in question. "Apparently one of their critics was assassinated by the Shimada Clan. He was high in standing but often outspoken. His death was enough to get Overwatch shut down."

"What makes you think it's important?" Weiss asked, shrugging her shoulders slightly.

"This is the weapon they found." Yang quickly explained, pointing at one of the two pictures on the article.

The weapon was a dagger with runes engraved on its surface, and a large quantity of dried blood on the tip. Tied to the grip of the blade were two sashes. One was grey with what appeared to be two serpentine dragons entwined on one another, one black the other white. They all recognised it as the symbol of the Shimada Clan. The other was a greyish black colour, a circular symbol that they immediately recognised as the crest of the now defunct Overwatch Academy in the centre of the fabric.

But that wasn't what caught their attention, it was the blade itself that caught their attention.

"I've seen that dagger before...in Ozpin's office." Ruby whispered as her mind went back to the time she was called up their after the incident at the Cross Continental Tower nearly a month ago. "There was a plaque with that exact same dagger on his wall...but it looked like there used to be two of them."

"You think it could have been stolen?" Jaune asked, raising an eyebrow in response.

"Stolen...or given." Ren replied, pointing to the second picture of the article.

The picture was from a CCTV camera in a dark corner of the city. One was garbed in armour clearly based off of the design of a ninja, a katana strapped to his back. They couldn't make out their face due to the helmet they wore, but could clearly see the same black and white dragons on the figures shoulder. An assassin of the Shimada. The other was a figure hooded and cloaked, their face hidden in shadow. The cloak also covered their form, making it impossible to distinguish their gender or identity. A heavily covered arm was outstretched, in it the same dagger as shown in the above picture.

"Are you suggesting...Beacon framed Overwatch?" Blake asked, her voice low to not attract attention.

"It would make sense. I mean, who in their right mind would plant evidence framing their Academy on the murder weapon?" Yang asked, turning to face the Faunus with a raised eyebrow.

"And it also makes sense why this 'Reaper' is attacking Beacon students." Ruby added. "Maybe he was a former Overwatch student who found out."

"It just doesn't make sense." Weiss replied, crossing her arms across her chest. "If this is all true, why wait this long? There have been other more opportune times to pull this off, why now?"

"I don't know..." Yang replied, slowly shaking her head as she gazed down at the article. "Anyone else got anything?"

"That guy in the picture with Morrison, definitely Gabriel Reyes." Jaune replied, pushing forward an old file that detailed Gabriel Reyes statistics during his time at Beacon. "Apparently during his time at Overwatch, he and Morrison were like brothers but then at Beacon they just drifted apart."

"Wow...he was pretty good." Yang stated as she and the rest of RWBY skimmed through his statistics chart. Top marks in every subject and often described as a 'cold and ruthless tactician'. In short, not someone you wanted to mess with.

"You said that Gabriel died with the rest of his team, how did he die?" Blake asked, turning to face Yang.

"According to this...he died after an explosion at some factory." Yang explained, quickly passing an old report to the Faunus.

"What was this factory?" Blake asked as she continued to read the report.

"Apparently it refined Dust for use in weaponry, guess who used that Dust..." Pyrrha replied, gesturing slightly behind her.

"Beacon..." Weiss whispered, earning a small nod from Pyrrha in return. "Wait...you don't think that-"

The Heiress was interrupted by a loud cough that quickly caused the two groups to turn in the direction of the noise. Standing a few feet back was a haggard old man with a long bushy beard and thinning grey hair. He was staring at the two groups with a raised eyebrow that seemed more inquisitive then judgemental.

"I'm not interrupting anything am I?" the elderly man asked, turning to face each individual as he spoke.

"We're sorry sir, is something the matter?" Ren asked, bowing slightly as he regarded the old librarian.

"No, not at all. It's just that I'll be closing the library in fifteen minutes." The librarian explained, turning to walk away before stopping again. "I would advise you perhaps start thinking about putting your things away before I accidentally lock you all in."

"Of course, thank you." Blake replied, nodding slightly as the librarian proceeded to turn and walk away. "I guess that's our cue to leave then."

"Agreed, we should go get some rest." Weiss added, gently closing the book she had been reading before turning to face the other students. "We certainly need it."

"Finally, I can get some sleep..." Yang yawned, stretching her arms and nearly falling asleep on the spot before Ruby prodded her side, causing the blonde brawler to quickly wake.

Team RWBY quickly filed out of the library, leaving the members of Team JNPR at the table who were neatly stacking the books and newspapers they had been reading.

"I guess we should head off as well, maybe catch a bite to eat?" Pyrrha suggested, shrugging her shoulders innocently.

"Good idea, what do you think Ren?" Jaune asked, becoming slightly suspicious when Ren didn't immediately answer. "Ren?"

A loud thud suddenly sounded behind them, causing the two to turn and look in shock as Nora was somehow sprawled on top of Ren who had obviously attempted to lift the sleeping Huntress...without assistance.

"I think I might need a little help here..."

 **00000000**

Ozpin sat in the gardens of Beacon, his eyes closed as he listened to the tranquil sounds of birds and insects going about their daily business alongside what remained of the student population. He used to come down to meditate in the peaceful gardens only on a few occasions, but with the recent attacks he had come down more frequently. Ozpin quickly opened his eyes as he felt a presence behind him, one he was expecting.

"You took your time..." Ozpin murmured, turning to face the figure.

"I was busy..." the figure quickly retorted, quickly taking a swig from the flask in his hand.

"Doing what if I may enquire?" Ozpin asked, shrugging his shoulders as he walked past the figure.

"Busy doing...stuff." the figure finally responded after an uncomfortable amount of silence had passed, taking another swig from the flask in his hand.

Ozpin grunted in amusement as a carefree smile spread across his face, placing a hand on the figures shoulder. "It's good to see you Qrow."

"Likewise Ozpin." Qrow responded, nodding slightly before pacing forward out of Ozpin's reach. "So, a little bird told me that you have a problem with this 'Reaper' guy. That true?"

"You know it is, I think it's him." Ozpin quickly responded, walking quickly to catch up to Qrow.

"No Ozpin, you don't think it's him, it is him!" Qrow sighed, shaking his head slightly.

"Then were has he been all these years?" Ozpin queried, turning to face the veteran Huntsman.

"No idea, but he's here now." Qrow responded, looking around to make sure no one was listening before leaning forward slightly. "Think _She_ might have something to do with all this?"

"No, and if She does, then She has certainly been very quiet about it." Ozpin replied, stopping in front of the fountain that stood outside the school. "The Reaper is very open about his reasons for his attacks. If he was in league with Her, he would certainly be less open...or bold."

"Just a thought..." Qrow muttered, crossing his arms as he stared at the fountain. "Queen has Pawns...perhaps some that don't even realise it."

"I'll make a note of that..." Ozpin replied, turning to face Qrow once again. "Any leads on who attacked Amber yet?"

"Not yet, but I think I'm getting close." Qrow replied, turning to walk away back into the gardens.

"May I ask something Qrow?" Ozpin asked, turning to face the Huntsman who stopped and turned to face the Headmaster. "Do you think Glynda is right? That I should close the school?"

Qrow's eyes widened considerably, either due to not knowing of the question or just not expected to be asked it. "Well...I-"

Qrow was interrupted when a shrill scream echoed throughout the school, a scream of fear. Qrow and Ozpin were quickly alert as both gazed out in front of them.

"That came from the gardens!" Qrow shouted, quickly drawing his sword as he rushed forward, followed closely by Ozpin.

The two Huntsman sped forward, rushing through the gardens of Beacon. They soon arrived at where Ozpin had been sitting only moments ago, a large group of students already there. Some had horrified or queasy looks on their faces whilst others were attempting to get a look at what was making the others so disgusted. Ozpin and Qrow quickly made their way to the front of the crowd. There sat Glynda consoling a young Huntress, her skin pale and grey from shock.

"Glynda, what happened?" Ozpin asked as he quickly paced forward, stopping a foot away from the teacher.

"Turn around..." Glynda whispered, a sad look in her eyes, as she pointed behind Ozpin.

Confused, Ozpin turned around as instructed, and gasped. Behind him was a tree, the once lush plant now slowly entering a state of decay. But that wasn't what had caused him to gasp or the girl to scream. Strung up on the tree were four Hunters in training, multiple wounds covering their bodies as they hung from either their entrails or tendons. There bodies were also husks drained of life, made more horrifying by the amount of blood that still poured from the open wounds.

"Who were they?" Qrow whispered, grimacing slightly as he looked at the disfigured bodies.

"Team GRCE...they haven't left the safety of the school since this all began..." Ozpin whispered back, his eyes widening in horror as he realised what this meant.

The Reaper was here.

 **00000000**

 **Sorry if the chapter was a bit short, had a bit of a brain freeze. But don't worry, next few weeks are all planned out! Liked it? Feel free to leave a review and remember, constructive criticism is welcome. Any Questions? Either leave in your review or PM me and I'll answer in the next chapter.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	14. House Call

**Hey there my friends, another chapter of Reap What You Sow up and running! First off, review responses! Silent Howl; Reaper may very well 'kick Cinders burning ass' as you so delicately put it. OutlastTheDark; Yeah I certainly get where you're coming from with Cinder...someone other than me give her a hug for crying out loud! 'Magical Dagger with inlaid gems'...That thing was magical?! I was going for ornamental! And if Reaper is anything like I think he is, he'll take his sweet ass time to 'savour the moment' as it were. And Thaqif, I didn't post your review because it seemed kinda random, I was actually wondering if you'd posted on the wrong fic. And I have no idea what 'Gate' is so I wouldn't do a fic on it. If you feel the way you do, then why don't you write that fic? Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 14- House call**

Winston let out a sigh as he continued to flick through the security feeds on the console before him, sniffing loudly as he willed himself to stay awake. Soldier 76 had left earlier that day, hoping to maybe find some answers after the unfortunate incident with FRYA. Not only that, but it seemed the Reaper was a technical wizard of sorts. When they had returned to the control centre all the files on the Reaper had been deleted. Video footage, documentation, all of it!

The only thing that had been salvaged was the attack on Team LYON Soldier 76 initially gave him, and he'd only just managed to get past all the fail safe bugs today! He'd opted to wait for Soldier 76 to return before they could analyse what they had, though he doubted they would find anything of relevance. Though honestly, he was more worried about what they could find. If it was him, after all these years...he didn't know how Soldier 76 would react. Or more importantly, how Jack would react.

As he continued to flick through the security footage, something caught his eye. An entire row of 'Bastion' units that had been but a second ago standing strong, were nothing but a pile of scrap metal. Winston narrowed his eyes as he continued to flick through the security cameras, until he saw two individuals running through the corridors.

One was male with silver hair and pale skin, wearing black and silver clothing with what appeared to be Shotgun boots of some form. How such a device worked was beyond him. The other was female with mint green hair and tanned skin, wearing a green and brown outfit with a pair of Kusarigama's strapped to the back of her hips.

"Where are you going…?" Winston whispered, flicking through the multiple feeds of the security footage as he followed the pair. It didn't take him long to piece the puzzle together, they were headed for him. Grunting slightly, Winston reached for his Scroll, quickly typing a command in on the device before placing it to the side. Hopefully Soldier 76 would see the message before things got messy. They were only young from the looks of it. Quickly grabbing _Lunar Storm_ , he quickly bounded forward, ready for the coming fight…

 **00000000**

"Those things were damn easy!" Mercury snorted, quickly turning right as he followed Emerald. "Best Academy my ass!"

"Well, they were over twenty years old, and there are two of us so..." Emerald began, trailing off slightly as Mercury rolled his eyes.

"Please, that's no excuse!" Mercury responded, causing Emerald to roll her own eyes instead. "So, where's the control centre?"

"Second left then straight ahead." Emerald replied, nodding to the aforementioned passage as she spoke. "We grab any data on the Reaper and get the hell out of here."

"And if we encounter Mr. Furry?" Mercury asked, raising an eyebrow as he spoke.

"We question him if possible, but don't get carried away!" Emerald replied, turning the corner as they quickly approached the bend, the control centre just ahead.

"Since when have I ever gotten carried away?" Mercury asked, stopping in his tracks as he faced the former thief. Emerald merely gave Mercury a questioning stare in response. "All right, point taken. This it?"

"Yeah, this is it." Emerald replied, nodding to a closed door that stood before them. Mercury stepped forward, but stopped when Emerald held her arm in front of him. "Wait! It could be rigged!"

"Rigged with what?!" Mercury hissed, brushing past Emeralds arm as he sauntered towards the door.

He moved towards the control panel of the door, a single button on the device. Grunting to himself, Mercury pressed the button, a large amount of grinding emanating from the door in response. The door slowly opened, revealing a large room with a large number of computer screens nearby. Mercury slowly walked in, looking around before turning around to face Emerald, holding his arms out either side.

"See, no-one here! Real shame, would've wanted to have a chat with Monkey boy..."

Suddenly, a large hand grasped onto Mercury's scalp before pulling him up, alighting a surprised shriek from the silver haired assassin. Emerald quickly drew her weapons, looking up slightly as the sounds of muffled combat sounded before growing silent. Seconds later, two forms burst through the ceiling, grappling with one another as they spiralled forward, Emerald just managing to roll out of the way in time.

As she regained her bearings, Emerald watched the two forms as the larger of the two managed to kick the smaller combatant off, who managed to land on their feet and skid to a stop. The smaller she could instantly recognise as Mercury, his hair slightly ruffled as he had a less then pleased look on his face. The other was big, almost too big to be true. They wore white armour with a large gun of some form in their hand. They also had tufts of black fur sticking out here and there, as well as a pair of glasses that rested on the bridge of their nose. The figure roared at the two, pounding his chest with his free hand as Emerald and Mercury backed away slowly.

"You okay?" Emerald asked, never taking her eyes off of the angry Faunus in front of them.

"Yeah, no thanks to King Kong here!" Mercury replied, rolling his shoulders as he entered a fighting stance.

The Faunus growled yet again before hefting the gun in his hands up, the barrel of the weapon arcing with electricity.

The two simply nodded at each other before initiating their strategy. Both split as Winston fired _Lunar Storm_ , the arc gun hitting the ground between them and sparking violently in all directions. Emerald quickly switched her weapons to their pistol mode, firing a few Dust rounds at Winston who merely staggered at the shots, aiming _Lunar Storm_ at the thief who quickly rolled to the side.

Mercury took this as his opportunity to strike, using his leg enhancements to leap into the air before spinning mid leap, ready to strike down with his heel. Winston turned at the last second, raising his free arm in defence as Mercury's leg struck before he swiped with his right hand, managing to claw slightly at Mercury's trouser leg as the assassin leaped backwards.

As Mercury landed, Emerald swung her Kusarigama's out at Winston, the blades flying from the grips, attached to long black chains. Winston lifted his left arm, letting the blades wrap around his wrist. As Emerald attempted to pull Winston forward, the Faunus simply tugged his arm towards his chest, pulling the thief forward before delivering a punch to her stomach, knocking the wind out of her as she was sent flying back.

Mercury growled and charged forward, using his leg enhancement to once again jump into the air. Winston saw the move coming a mile away and leapt to the side, Mercury impacting with enough force to crack the floor. As Mercury turned to leap again, Winston quickly grabbed _Lunar Storm_ and fired a quick bolt at his legs, short circuiting them immediately.

"Wh-what the hell?!" Mercury stammered as his legs suddenly became useless, collapsing on the floor immediately.

"Mechanical legs, and strong ones too. I must admit, I'm impressed." Winston chuckled, before grabbing hold of one of Mercury's legs before he proceeded to swing the assassin around like a rag-doll. "Still won't stop me from doing this!"

As Winston finished his sentence, he flung Mercury forward, sending him both flying and screaming towards Emerald, who only had the time to look up before the assassin unintentionally hit her head on, sending both to the floor again.

"Man this ape is starting to piss me off!" Mercury muttered, hitting his legs as they slowly buzzed to life again.

"We need to rethink our strategy!" Emerald replied, quickly picking up her Kusarigama's from off the floor, the blades quickly reattaching to the grips.

"Right, what do we do?" Mercury asked, re-entering a combat stance as Winston began to charge the pair.

"You distract him, I have an idea!" Emerald replied, quickly running into the shadows.

"Right...wait, what?"

Mercury didn't have a chance to ask further as Winston leapt into the air, ready to slam both hands down on the assassin, who quickly rolled to the side. Winston then swung both arms sidewards, mercury managing to flip between the two arms before leaping backwards as Winston followed through with another swipe from his left arm.

"What's the matter grandpa? Can't keep up?" Mercury taunted, giving a mock salute which only seemed to anger Winston further.

The Faunus roared again as he leapt forward, swinging his fists wildly in an attempt to hit Mercury, who managed to dodge each and everyone of the blows. Eventually, Winston managed to strike a blow against the assassin, who hit the floor with a loud thud.

"Emerald?...Whatever you're doing, you better hurry up!" Mercury whispered quietly, backing away as Winston began charging again.

However, something seemed off as he charged forward. It looked as though he was trying to fight something else as he was running. Mercury glanced to his right and spotted Emerald, exiting the shadows as she stared at the Faunus with narrow eyes, her face wrought in concentration.

"Bought time you did something!" Mercury shouted as he hefted himself off the floor, casually strolling forward as the Faunus continued to stagger forward in confusion, still attempting to fight the invisible foe.

"Shut up! I can't keep this up for much longer, he's stronger than he looks!" Emerald seethed through gritted teeth, never breaking her gaze from the Faunus.

"Right right, allow me." Mercury replied, bowing in a mocking manner as he approached the Faunus. When Winston was close enough, Mercury delivered a scissor kick to Winston's chin, sending the Faunus spiralling backwards, propelled further by the Dust infused round that accompanied it.

"Glad that's over..." Emerald murmured, rubbing her forehead slightly before gesturing to the control room that laid untouched. "I'm gonna go see what they got, you take care of him."

"My pleasure..." Mercury chuckled, casually strolling towards the Faunus who quickly shook his head, looking up to face Mercury as he heard him approach. "Well, it's been fun Donkey Kong. You'll be known as the guy who almost got the better of us...almost."

Mercury quickly raised his foot over the Faunus' head, ready to deliver an execution blow when he glanced to the side and noticed something. His glasses, just out of arms reach. Mercury let a cold smile grace his face as he lowered his foot onto the ground and strolled over to the glasses, the Faunus watching with a worried look on his face. Mercury pivoted his right foot over the glasses, before bringing them down with a satisfying crunch.

The next thing Mercury remembered was being sent flying across the room where he loudly impacted the main computer screen in the control room, causing Emerald to jump back in shock.

"What the hell!" Emerald stammered as she slowly backed away. "What happened?!"

"I got carried away..." Mercury groaned, causing Emerald to simply stare at the assassin in confusion before he pointed behind her. "Look!"

Emerald turned and stood back as she gasped. Winston was once again up and standing, and he looked pissed. His skin had turned red and his eyes golden, electricity arcing off his body as he let out a primal roar, charging forward faster than a Borbatusk.

"We have to leave! Like, right now!" Emerald stated, quickly pulling Mercury off the computer screen as both made their way to the doorway, Winston getting closer with every passing second.

"What about the mission?!" Mercury asked, managing to stagger forward as they made their way out of the room.

"Forget the mission! Just run!" Emerald shouted, sprinting down the nearest corridor as Mercury followed, Winston only just managing to stop himself from crashing into the wall as he skidded to a stop.

The thief and assassin continued to run through the corridors, glancing over their shoulders every so often to see how far behind the rage fuelled Faunus was. Eventually, the two stopped to take a breath, glancing around for any sign of the Faunus.

"You think...you think we lost him?" Mercury panted, leaning on his knees as he took deep breaths.

"I...I think so..." Emerald replied, wiping her brow as she felt sweat drip down.

The sound of a weapon clicking quickly gained both their attention, causing the two to turn in the direction of the noise. Before them stood a man in blue and white clothing, a faceless mask covering his face as he aimed his weapon at the two.

"I don't remember you two being around here..." the man commented sarcastically, the weapon still aimed at the two. The sound of a roar caught all three's attention as Winston skidded around the corner, a primal look on his face. "You might wanna run..."

The two intruders quickly rolled backwards as Soldier 76 fired at the two as Winston leaped into the fray, relentlessly pursuing Mercury as Soldier 76 concentrated fire on Emerald, who returned fire with her dual pistols. Mercury attempted to leap onto Soldier 76, hoping to get a jump on the vigilante. The veteran Huntsman saw the incoming strike, shifting _Helix Strike_ into its Machete form as Mercury rebounded off of the flat of the blade, sending him flying back slightly. Soldier 76 then leapt into the air, slashing upwards and severing one of Mercury's robotic feet.

"My foot!" Mercury wailed as he watched the robotic appendage sail away from his still flying form. "You bitc-"

Mercury was cut off as a hand grabbed onto his face, Winston flinging the assassin towards Emerald who only managed to dodge the projectile. Quickly hefting Mercury off the floor, Emerald sprinted away as fast as she could, glancing behind her when she heard Winston approaching.

"Let 'em go Winston..." Soldier 76 murmured, causing the Faunus to sharply turn and face the vigilante. "They aren't worth it..."

Winston let out a sigh as his skin slowly returned to normal and the primal fire in his eyes snuffed out, before snorting loudly as he sauntered forward. "I suppose you're right..." Winston muttered, continuing forward before stopping, turning to face Soldier 76 with a wide grin on his face. "What took you so long?"

 **00000000**

"That bastard chopped off my foot!" Mercury shouted as he examined the amputated limb, growling in annoyance as sparks shot out the wiring. "It's gonna take like, a weeks worth of wages to fix this up!"

"Your legs will be the least of your worries when we go back to Cinder empty handed!" Emerald replied, pacing wildly in front of the assassin who merely rolled his eyes. "She's gonna roast us alive when she finds out!"

"Speak for yourself," Mercury stated rather confidently as he pointed at himself with his thumb. "I think I'm pretty safe myself!"

"Yeah? Why are you so confident?" Emerald asked, crossing her arms over her chest in an exaggerated fashion. She was genuinely curious, she knew Mercury was well aware of how vicious Cinder could be. So she wanted to know what exactly Mercury was so confident about.

"Look what I managed to swipe off of the big KK!" Mercury stated proudly, holding up an electronic device no bigger than a book. "His Scroll."

 **00000000**

"Lost something?" Soldier 76 asked, turning to face Winston who was frantically searching for something.

"Yes, my Scroll." Winston replied, a new set of glasses perched on his nose. "I swear it was here a moment ago..."

"Do we need it to see what you wanted to show me?" Soldier 76 asked, moving forward as he also began searching for the device.

"No but still..." Winston sighed, shaking his head slowly. "We can use one of the monitors I guess."

Soldier 76 nodded as the two approached a nearby console, Winston switching it on immediately. As the computer began to power up, Winston pulled out a small device, slotting it into the computer with a small clicking noise. A video soon popped up on the screen, the quality somewhat grainy yet still it could be made out. Four young men in a warehouse, one knelt on the floor and using a stick to trace a battle plan on the muck filled floor. They appeared to be in the middle of discussing the tactics when one of them spoke up.

" _Guys, you hear that?"_

The group looked around as their hands went to draw their weapons, only to realise they hadn't brought them. Then, it started. A black mist landed in the dirt, quickly taking on the form of a black robed man with a skull shaped mask. The Reaper.

The group quickly recovered from the initial shock, the closest running forward as he raised his right fist to deliver a punch to the Reaper. The Reaper parried the blow with his left arm before grabbing the wrist with his right, pushing it against his left arm until the bone snapped, causing the Huntsman to scream in pain. The Reaper then swiped out with his right hand, slashing the students throat with the tip of his claws, silencing his screams. As the student grasped at his throat with his left arm, the Reaper swung his right arm down against the students neck. At first glance, one would assume the Reaper meant to elbow the student but missed. One quick glance first at the students neck then at blood covered spikes that ran up his gauntlet would correct that mistake.

As the first student dropped dead, the second charged, hoping to tackle the Reaper to the ground. The Reaper quickly kicked the student in the gut, causing him to stagger back in response. The Reaper then pulled the student by his shirt, and began to mercilessly punch him in the face. Even after his face was nothing but a bloody pulp he continued to pummel them. Eventually, when the student let out a pained moan, the Reaper relented. Grabbing the student by his jaw, the Reaper then pulled the jaw open, stopping only when he heard a sickening snap.

As the second student fell dead, the last two charged together, praying that they could catch him unawares. The Reaper kneed one in the stomach, sending him to his knees as he quickly performed an upper cut on the fourth, sending him sprawling on his back. Before they could rise again, the Reaper, stamped on their stomach, causing them to groan in pain and slump back down before the Reaper brought a heavy foot down on their head, crushing it immediately.

Turning now to the last who still cradled his stomach, the Reaper slowly approached him from behind, grasping onto his head and digging his clawed hands into the students eyes, causing him to scream in pain as he grappled onto the Reapers wrists. Seconds later, the Reaper snapped his neck, letting the fourth and final member of Team LYON fall to the floor, dead. The Reaper stood still for a second, taking a deep breath before letting out a sigh of relief. Then as if caught by a gust of wind, the Reaper disappeared into his now infamous mist like form, slipping away into the shadows.

Winston sighed as he switched off the computer, turning to face Soldier 76 who's hands were balled tightly into fists.

"It's him," Soldier 76 murmured, his eyes glued to the now black screen. "He's back."

 **00000000**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter, same time next week for chapter 15 of Reap What You Sow! Liked it? Feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcome. Any questions? Leave either in your review or PM and I'll answer next chapter in the case of reviews and whenever I can for PM's.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	15. The Plot Thickens

**Another day, another chapter. Hope you all enjoyed last week and that this chapter will satisfy. First though, review response time. Guest; while interesting, unlikely to happen. Even if the plot was different, Reaper doesn't strike me as the romantic type. OutlastTheDark; the relationships where the two hate each others guts tend to work the best. And Overwatch lore is actually pretty neat, definitely recommend checking it out. Also, hype for May 24th release date! Now, on with the show!**

 **WARNING- Slight Volume Three Spoilers in this chapter!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 15- The Plot Thickens**

Cinder paced quickly around the room, her eyes glancing subtly to the door every so often. She did not trust Emerald and Mercury to be clean with the execution of their mission, so she had sent Neo to shadow them. And she was not pleased with what she had reported. The retrieval had been a complete mess, and worst of all they had failed to eliminate the targets. They had been seen, their position potentially compromised. Neo had also confirmed that one of the hostiles had been the one from the warehouse, which was troubling news by itself.

She would have to deal with Emerald and Mercury when they returned, now she had another matter to deal with.

Cinder closed her eyes, letting herself slip into unconsciousness. Darkness dominated both her vision and her mind, the smothering shadows wrapping round her like a blanket. When she felt the shadows subside, she opened her eyes. The room she had been occupying was now covered in a thick layer of darkness, tinted a deep red colour. The world was a haze, nothing seemed as it should be there. Then a figure exited one of the many darkened corners of the room, standing tall above her. Looking up, she saw that the figure was featureless, yet was evidently female judging from its form. The only distinguishable feature were their eyes, a blood red colour that sent shivers down her spine. Slowly, Cinder knelt down on the floor, dipping her head low as the figure watched..

"What do you ask of me, Mistress?" Cinder asked, lifting her head as she looked at the figure before her.

" _What troubles you Cinder?"_ the figure asked, tilting her head as she sauntered towards Cinder. _"Are the Maiden's powers taking their toll?"_

"No, Mistress." Cinder replied, wincing slightly as she felt the rage of the Maidens power rise slightly in her body, attempting to break free and rejoin the second half. She truly hoped that the other half of the powers were taking their toll on the Maiden. "The Maidens powers are not what trouble me."

" _Then what is it?"_ the figure asked, curiosity laced in her words.

"It is the matter of this...Reaper." Cinder seethed, clenching her hands slightly as she mentioned the offending party. "He has thrown all of our plans into chaos! He's ruined years of planning!"

" _I am well aware of this Reaper you speak of,"_ the figure replied, her tone passive as it always was. _"And you are to leave him be."_

"M-mistress?" Cinder asked, her eyes wide with shock. Surely she had misheard, surely she saw the threat the Reaper posed.

" _As I have stated, the Reaper is to be left alone."_ the figure repeated, causing Cinder to simply stare in shock. _"Is there a problem?"_

"Mistress, this Reaper is ruining our plans and you want us to just let him be?" Cinder queried, tilting her head questioningly. "Surely you understand the threat he poses?"

" _I do, and it is for that reason you are to leave him be."_ the figure answered, her eyes narrowing when she saw the shocked expression turn to one of anger. _"Do you question my judgement?"_

"With all due respect, the Reaper must be taken care of before he proves too much of a problem!" Cinder stated, meeting the figures glare with one of her own. "Allow me to deal with him! I can make him wish he'd never set foot in Beacon! I can-"

" _No!"_ the figure interrupted, her voice stern and authoritative. _"The Reaper is nothing like you have ever faced! His power is beyond you!"_

"He is just a man..." Cinder muttered, an orb of fire hovering over her now open palm. "...and all men break eventually."

" _He is no man, he is neither living nor dead...but something else entirely."_ the figure warned, the flame resting on Cinder's palm extinguishing almost immediately. _"Were you to face him in your current state, even with your allies, you would surely fall."_

"Do you doubt my skill?" Cinder asked, her glare intensifying slightly.

" _No, but I do not underestimate his..."_ the figure replied, causing Cinder's glare to subside. _"My decision is final, do not engage without my permission. Am I understood?"_

Cinder clenched her fists yet again, her eyes narrowing slightly before she relinquished her grip, letting her fingers unfurl as he arms went still. "Yes, Mistress..."

" _Good,"_ the figure replied, gesturing for Cinder to stand. _"Now rise my faithful servant, for we have much to do."_

"What would you have me do?" Cinder asked, standing as the figure paced the room in a similar fashion to what she had done only minutes ago.

" _You are right about one thing, the Reaper HAS thrown our plans into chaos."_ the figure murmured, stopping in her tracks to face Cinder. _"It is best that you and your allies lay low for the time being. I will contact you when the time to strike is nigh."_

"Understood," Cinder replied, bowing her head slightly before looking up to face the figure. "If I may ask...what if the Reaper engages us?"

The figure stopped, turning to face Cinder with narrowed eyes, as if deciding herself what to do in such a scenario. _"If you are able, convince him to put aside his goals and join you...he could be an invaluable asset."_ the figure finally replied, her form beginning to slink away into the shadows as the conversation came to a close. _"Otherwise, pray that you live to speak of your encounter..."_

Light suddenly entered Cinder's vision, causing her to close her eyes in an attempt to shield them. When next she opened them, her vision was no longer coated in the darkness that once dominated the room. Sighing, she quickly took out her Scroll, typing a few commands as she contacted both Emerald and Mercury.

" _Cinder, we got some intel on the Reaper!"_ Emeralds voice crackled through, sounding over joyous about the news. _"We're headed back to your position so we can see what this bastard can-"_

"That won't be necessary any more, we do not need the information any longer." Cinder interrupted, her gaze still steadfast when the thief and assassin replied.

" _Wait...what?"_ Emerald asked, her voice evidently portraying her confusion.

" _Are you kidding me?! I lost a foot to get this intel!"_ Mercury's voice shouted, causing Cinder to roll her eyes.

"The plan has changed, as has our mission." Cinder replied, causing the thief and assassin to murmur in confusion. "I will tell more when you return."

 **00000000**

Ruby sighed as she stared out the window, the sky beginning to darken already. Turning round, she eyed the clock, groaning in slight annoyance at the time displayed. 8:00PM, hours before she would normally be in the dorm on a weekend night.

After the discovery of Team GRCE's bodies on site, Ozpin had officially enacted a curfew on Beacon grounds. All students were allowed outside their dorms between the times of 7:00AM and 5:00PM. No students were allowed outside their dorms outside those hours unless they had been given special permission.

Ruby turned to face the rest of her Team, to see how they were passing the time. Weiss was cleaning _Myrtenaster_ , the blade having gotten dirty during a combat exercise earlier that day. Blake had finally taken a break from investigating the Reaper, now reading a small book on her bed. Yang meanwhile was taking a well earned nap after all the hours of research she had been doing, not having bothered changing out of her casual attire.

"I don't like this..." Ruby muttered, turning to face the window once again and stare into the night.

"What are you talking about?" Weiss asked, turning away from her blade to face Ruby.

"The idea of being cooped up like this." Ruby replied, causing Blake to turn away from her book and stare at the red hooded Huntress. "I just feel like this is what they want..."

"What do you mean?" Blake asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Think about it, we're all confined to our dorms with no way out." Ruby explained, earning worried stares from Blake and Weiss. "I can't help but feel like this is what he wanted, for us to be trapped with no where to go."

"Like fish in a barrel?" Blake asked, the worry on her face easily matching the tone of her voice.

Ruby simply nodded in response, causing both the Heiress and the Faunus to look at one another in slight concern. Ruby's Scroll suddenly buzzed to life, causing Yang to suddenly wake up in response.

"Wha-what happened?" Yang asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she yawned loudly. "Did we win?"

"What are you talking about?" Weiss asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she raised an eyebrow. When she received only a shrug from Yang in response, the Heiress turned her attention to Ruby who was now looking at the Scroll.

"Its Jaune..." Ruby muttered, picking the Scroll up as she accepted the call. "Hey Jaune, what's up?"

" _Ruby, is everyone with you?"_ Jaune asked, his tone almost hushed as if aware someone was listening.

"Yeah, Teams all here. That a problem?" Ruby queried, tilting her head suspiciously.

" _No, but I think I found something important..."_ Jaune murmured, causing Ruby's eyes to widen in shock.

"All right, putting you on loud speaker!" Ruby replied, pressing a button on the Scroll before setting it on the table for all to listen.

"What's up, Vomit Boy?" Yang asked, jumping from the top bunk of the bed and landing with a soft thud.

" _We've been looking up those Gabriel and Morrison guys, and I think I found something important."_ Jaune replied, but not before sighing at Yangs nickname for him.

"What is it?" Blake asked, leaning forward slightly as she spoke.

" _Apparently some time before the graduation, they had a fight. A big one too."_ Jaune replied, the sound of typing following shortly after.

"What type of fight?" Weiss asked, stroking her chin subtly.

" _Like an argument, except it almost escalated to a no bars duel._ "

"What were they fighting about?" Ruby asked, tilting her head slightly.

" _No one is certain, but if I were to guess, something to do with Overwatch."_ Jaune answered, though not after a short silence.

"What makes you think that?" Blake asked, her eyes narrowing with confusion.

" _Apparently, Gabriel had been obsessed with Overwatch's shut down. My guess, he found something he didn't like."_ Jaune once again answered, before he sighed loudly. _"I'm starting to think maybe Ren was right and that maybe Ozpin has something to do with Overwatch shutting down."_

"Seems a little cloak and dagger for him though don't you think?" Yang defended, entering the conversation yet again. "Plus, Ozpin doesn't strike me as the guy who frames his opposition."

" _Maybe,"_ Jaune agreed, the sound of shuffling following close behind. _"But it's all we got so far and-"_

Jaune suddenly fell silent as the sound of glass smashing echoed around the room, causing both Teams to look around in panic.

"What was that?" Blake asked, looking around as she attempted to discern where the noise came from.

" _I...I don't know!"_ Jaune stuttered, his own Team looking around as well in their own Dorm.

A scream of both pain and fear followed shortly, followed by the sound of metal cutting into flesh as the scream suddenly cut off.

"Please don't tell me that's who I think it is..." Weiss whimpered, holding _Myrtenaster_ out with a trembling hand.

"Okay...we won't..." Yang murmured, activating _Ember Celica_ seconds later.

"Look!" Ruby shouted, pointing out the window. When the rest of her Team looked, they all gasped.

Lying on the floor was the broken body of a student, a pool of blood forming beneath him. Seconds later, a stream of black mist landed next to him, quickly taking the form of the Reaper.

"It's him!" Blake whispered, her eyes narrowed into slits.

The Reaper looked around, his gaze stopping as he locked eyes with RWBY. Standing up straight, the Reaper leaned forward slightly and slid his thumb over his neck from left to right before bolting off into the night.

"He's getting away!" Ruby shouted, pounding her hands on the glass window.

"Not if we can help it!" Yang replied, quickly punching the window and shattering it. "Come on!"

"Ruby, we do this, we might not make it..." Weiss warned, pulling Ruby back slightly as the hooded Huntress attempted to clamber out the window.

"I know...but we have to try." Ruby replied, earning a nod from Weiss in return. "Jaune, get the rest of JNPR, we're going after the Reaper!"

" _What?! Are you crazy?!"_ Jaune shouted, clearly stressed out by the whole situation. _"He catches you, he'll kill you!"_

"Alone, probably. Just us four, maybe. But together we might stand a chance." Ruby pleaded, staying silent as she awaited Jaune's response.

" _All right, we'll catch up as soon as possible!"_ Jaune sighed, then the call went silent as he hung up.

"All right then ladies..." Yang shouted, twisting her head to the left as she felt the bones pop. "Let's go beat the crap out of this guy."

 **00000000**

 **Sorry if the chapter was short, but next week is going to be big. The first fight between RWBY, JNPR and the Reaper. Liked it? Leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in a review and I'll answer next chapter.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	16. Death Blossom's

**Another day, another chapter, and this one's a biggy! First, review response time. Guest; bear in mind that Cinder does not have the full Maiden powers yet, she only has half. Besides, we all saw with a bit of strategy that a Maiden can be defeated. Also, why would anyone do something as horrible as kill someone...right? Thaqif; what? No one is going to die...or are they? Silent Howl; as previously mentioned, when Ozpin fought Cinder it was when she was fully powered. And OutlastTheDark; yeah the woman Cinder was talking to is Salem from the Volume 3 finale. And curfew's are the worst, a way to protect people that can be turned against them. And why does everyone think someone is going to die?! Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 16- Death Blossom's**

"Let's go beat the crap out of this guy!"

As soon as Yang said those words, the other members of RWBY nodded their heads in agreement. Ruby spun around and flung the window open, quickly jumping out of it followed closely by Weiss, Blake and Yang. When Ruby landed, the Reaper was already a good distance ahead of her.

"How fast can that guy run?!" Weiss exclaimed, drawing _Myrtenaster_ quickly.

"We'll need to hurry up if we want to catch him." Blake replied, quickly taking out her Scroll and typing a command on it. Seconds later, Blake's weapon locker landed nearby, quickly opening and revealing _Gambol Shroud_ inside.

Ruby followed suite, quickly taking out her Scroll to call her weapon locker...but paused. An idea had formed, it might not work, but it was worth a shot. Quickly typing in the necessary commands, Ruby watched and waited. Seconds later, her weapon locker landed in front of the Reaper, who barely managed to skid to a halt in time.

Ruby then charged forward with assistance from her Semblance, blocking out the pleas of her Team. As the Reaper spun around to face her, she let out a loud battle cry as she barrelled into the Reapers side, causing him to grunt in shock and slight pain as he was flung to the side. The Reaper rolled backwards uncontrollably before he managed dig his claws into the soft soil of the grass he had landed on, churning up a large amount of dirt as he grinded to a halt.

Ruby was quick to act, quickly grabbing _Crescent Rose_ from its locker and activating its scythe form. Reaper slowly rose from the spot, laughing menacingly as he drew _Death's Vice_ , activating its sickle form. Ruby glanced behind her, the rest of her Team still a distance away.

"So, you really think you can take me by yourself?" the Reaper chuckled, slowly pacing around as Ruby followed his movements, never taking her eyes off of him. "You're more foolish then I thought..."

"Let's see how confidant you are when we kick your butt!" Ruby replied, gritting her teeth as she tightened her grip on _Crescent Rose_.

"Get in line..." Reaper simply replied, charging forward with _Death's Vice_ at the ready.

The two scythe wielders clashed, neither one gaining or losing ground. Ruby was giving her all, using her Semblance to dash around in order to flank the Reaper on multiple occasions, whilst the Reaper barely seemed to be trying, countering or completely dodging her attacks. He was on the defensive, but why? In the midst of the blade flurry, the Reaper changed tactics, suddenly launching his own strikes at the red hooded Huntress. As Ruby went on the defensive, the Reaper dropped to the ground and delivered a sweeping kick. Ruby managed to jump up in time, but was left vulnerable to another attack, which the Reaper took full advantage of. As Ruby was in mid air, the Reaper delivered another kick, this one higher, hitting her in the stomach and sending her sprawling into the dirt.

The Reaper quickly rose, walking forward at a steady pace as Ruby slowly rose up, raising one of his sickles in the air.

"Get away from her you bitch!"

The Reaper turned as Yang charged forward, swinging a right fist at the Reaper who was struck back by the blow, spiralling backwards before gracefully landing. Ruby turned to see that Blake and Weiss were still quite a bit away, no doubt Yang having charged forward upon seeing her in danger.

"Ruby! Are you okay?" Yang asked, turning to face Ruby and helping her up off the floor.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ruby replied, rubbing her stomach briefly as she turned to face the Reaper. "Be careful Yang, this guy is fast!"

"We'll see about that..." Yang seethed, slamming her fists together before charging forward, the Reaper ready to meet her in a basic combat stance.

As Yang neared, the Reaper spun on the spot, holding his right arm out and causing Yang to hurdle over the outstretched limb and roll forward, quickly turning around to face Reaper and firing _Ember Celica_ into the ground, launching her forward.

The Reaper was quick to counter, activating his Semblance and dispersing into black mist as Yang's fist made contact with him. As Yang looked around, the Reaper reappeared a few metres away, _Death's Vice_ now in shotgun form. He fired a few shots at the blonde brawler who managed to dodge the rounds as she charged forward yet again.

She swung her right fist again, only for the Reaper to lock her wrist between his weapon's, which had morphed back into their sickle forms. Then the Reaper quickly wrapped his legs around her waist and legs, forcing the leg wrapped around her waist down and causing her to tumble to the ground with a loud thud, the force of the blow sending her rolling away.

Yang winced in pain as she attempted to rise, shaking her head slightly. She gazed up, the Reaper stood above her with _Death's Vice_ in shotgun form, the barrel of the weapons aimed at her head.

"Your light is extinguished..." the Reaper murmured, laughing menacingly as his fingers tightened on the triggers.

Then the Reaper yelped in surprise as Ruby leaped onto his back, pulling his hood down over his eyes and causing him to drop _Death's Vice_ on the ground as he attempted to grapple with the red hooded Huntress.

"God! This guy's got the strength of like...ten Ursa!" Ruby shouted as she attempted to force the Reaper to the ground, who didn't so much as buckle under the weight.

Eventually, the Reaper managed to grasp a hold of Ruby's wrists, flinging her over his head and causing her to drop _Crescent Rose_ as she skidded to a halt next to Yang, who had since recovered. The Reaper seethed as he reached for his weapon's, only to stagger back in shock when he realised he no longer held them.

"Looking for these?" Yang asked, grinning as she gingerly held _Death's Vice_ by the grips for the Reaper to see before throwing them behind her.

"Why you little piece of-" the Reaper paused upon seeing the runic symbol forming beneath him. Turning, he saw Weiss and Blake rushing forward, with Weiss pointing _Myrtenaster_ at the Reaper, the blade glowing an icy blue.

As she flicked the blade up, the Reaper leapt to the side, spinning in the air slightly as a large number of icicles protruded out of the ground where he once stood. Before the Reaper could land however, Blake charged forward, delivering an upper cut to the Reaper, sending him flying into the air. Blake then swung _Gambol Shroud_ upward, the ribbon flying out and wrapping around the Reaper's waist before pulling him towards the ground.

As the Reaper was about to make contact with the ground, Yang charged forward, punching the Reaper square in the face, sending him sprawling to the dirt as _Gambol Shroud's_ ribbon unravelled around his waist.

"Is that the best you've got?" the Reaper seethed, his hands clenched tightly into fists as he rose from the ground.

As the Reaper stood, he glanced to his left slightly, snickering wickedly to himself. Ruby glanced around and gasped when she realised just what Reaper had eyed up. _Crescent Rose_ still laid untouched from when the Reaper had thrown her off. Ruby charged forward, but the Reaper was faster, activating his Semblance as he swept over _Crescent Rose_ , the weapon being absorbed into the shadowy vortex.

The mist then circled around the small group before stopping behind them, the Reaper appearing as he swung _Crescent Rose_ before planting the blade into the ground with a loud thud. Ruby could only gawk in shock at the sight...someone else was using her precious weapon.

"You give that back you...meanie!" Ruby shouted, balling her fists up as she glared daggers at the Reaper.

"'Meanie'? Really?" the Reaper asked, tilting his head slightly in obvious disappointment.

Before Ruby could respond, the Reaper then spun around, swinging _Crescent Rose_ in a wide arc. Team RWBY were forced to back away as the Reaper continued to move at a slow pace, swinging the scythe with every step he took. Ruby was grateful that the Reaper clearly wasn't used to a weapon like _Crescent Rose_ , each swing was slow and easily dodged, but it was still enough to keep them back.

Eventually, the Reaper grew bored of the weapon, carelessly chucking it towards Ruby, who nearly fell back as she caught the weapon. The Reaper then rolled to the side, to where Yang had tossed _Death's Vice_ only minutes earlier. Grasping hold of the familiar weapon's, the Reaper spun around to face the Huntresses, firing round after round of bullets. The four Huntresses dived for cover, dodging the bullets hastily, though some found their mark in the Huntresses sides or arms.

"Die!" the Reaper hissed, loading strange spherical rounds into _Death's Vice_ before firing at them again.

When the new rounds impacted the ground, a salvo of explosions rippled around Team RWBY, sending them flying to the ground with yelps of pain and surprise. As Ruby looked up, the Reaper quickly loaded more shotgun shells into _Death's Vice_ before aiming the weapons at the downed Huntresses.

Suddenly, a gold disc like shield flew out towards Reaper, hitting him in the back and staggering him as he turned. The shield returned to its wielder, none other then Pyrrha Nikos, the rest of Team JNPR behind her.

"More lambs to the slaughter?" the Reaper mumbled, his weapons now trained on the new arrivals. "I'd be more than happy to accommodate you..."

"Step away from them. Now!" Jaune ordered, bashing _Crocea Mors_ together in an attempt to intimidate the Reaper.

"And what will happen if I don't?" the Reaper asked, clearly not at all impressed with Jaune's display.

"This!" Jaune shouted, charging forward with his shield at the ready to deflect any incoming shots.

In response, the Reaper simply fired a blast at the shields centre, sending Jaune flying backwards and into the dirt, back next to his team.

"Jaune! Are you okay?" Pyrrha asked, turning to face Jaune as the blonde knight stumbled back into a standing position.

"Yeah...I'm fine..." Jaune replied, shaking his head as he regained his bearings.

"Let's break his legs!" Nora shouted as she charged forward, swinging _Magnhild_ wildly in the air.

The Reaper leapt backwards, dodging the initial wild strike from Nora before she swung the weapon counter-clockwise, the Reaper barely just ducking beneath the swing. Ren soon joined his partner, firing rounds from _StormFlower_ as Jaune attempted to flank, Pyrrha offering cover fire with _Mil_ _ó_ _._

The Reaper continued to dodge the multiple attacks coming his way, weaving through the strikes. As Nora swung once more overhead, the Reaper side-stepped the strike before leaping into the air and delivering a kick at Nora's chin, sending her sprawling backwards into Ren, both falling to the ground.

Jaune charged yet again, letting out a primal yell as he swung _Crocea Mors_ down at the Reaper, who manoeuvred around the blonde knight and delivered a kick to his back, sending him sprawling down in front of RWBY. Pyrrha then drew out _Akoúo_ , flinging the shield once again at the Reaper.

The Reaper charged forward, sliding beneath _Akoúo_ and onto his back. As the shield passed over him, he slid one foot into the groove of the shield and the other onto the opposite end of the shield. Then with a flick of his heels, he flung the shield back at Pyrrha as he himself rolled forward. Pyrrha held her hands out in front of her, her Semblance activating as _Akoúo_ was mere inches away. The Reaper then sped forward, kicking Pyrrha in the gut and sending her sprawling backwards, _Mil_ _ó_ and _Akoúo_ skidding to a stop next to her.

"How do we stop this guy?!" Jaune shouted, shaking his head as the other members of Team JNPR slowly rose up off the ground.

"We need to work together!" Ruby shouted, holding _Crescent Rose_ out in front of her, the scythe blade pointed at the Reaper who was now pacing around like a caged lion. "There's no other way."

"Right, so what's the plan?" Jaune asked, keeping his eyes on the Reaper who seemed to be waiting for them to attack.

"Just follow our lead!" Ruby shouted, charging forward with the rest of RWBY behind her.

The Reaper switched _Death's Vice_ into their sickle forms and charged at the advancing group. He swung forward at Ruby, who easily leapt over the blow. As the Reaper looked up, Yang delivered a punch to his chest, sending him sprawling backwards. Nora then swung _Magnhild_ , hitting the Reaper in the back and sending him sprawling to the dirt where Ruby swung _Crescent Rose_ in a wide arc, hitting the Reaper and sending him flying backwards with a pained grunt.

As the Reaper stood up, a large number of glyphs appeared around him, causing him to look around in confusion. Then Weiss sped forward, rebounding off of the glyphs and into the Reaper, who staggered at each blow made against him. As the Reaper recovered from the last of the blows, he swung wildly at Weiss, who easily dodged the strike.

Caught up in attempting to strike down the Heiress, the Reaper was once again set upon by both Pyrrha and Jaune, who swung at him with their weapons drawn. The Reaper managed to parry Jaune's strike and kick him back, but was struck in the side by Pyrrha, who had extended _Mil_ _ó_ into its javelin form.

The Reaper staggered back with a loud grunt, seething loudly as he massaged his stomach. Before the Reaper could move forward, a long black ribbon wrapped around his frame, immobilising him immediately.

"What-?" the Reaper stammered, attempting to pull his arms free from the bindings.

Looking around, he saw that Blake had fired _Gambol Shroud's_ ribbon at him, the item in question having wrapped around his frame. As he continued to struggle, Blake tugged the weapon, unravelling the Reaper whilst also causing him to spin around on the spot. As the Reaper regained his bearings, Ruby swung at him again with _Crescent Rose_ , sending him flying towards Blake who swung _Gambol Shroud_ upwards, causing the Reaper to growl in pain as the blade sent him to the ground again.

As the Reaper slowly stood, Weiss formed an ice glyph under his feet that detonated instantly, trapping the Reaper in a block of thick ice. Now truly immobilised, Weiss powered up another glyph in front of Ruby, who quickly shifted _Crescent Rose_ into its Sniper form and fired through the glyph, sending an infused round at the Reaper's icy prison.

As the round connected, a large explosion occurred, sending everyone flying backwards from the shock-wave of the blast. Ruby coughed up a large amount of dust as she slowly rose, rubbing her eyes as she looked around the charred landscape.

"Is everyone okay?" Ruby shouted, coughing up another handful of dust as she spoke.

"I...I think so..." Yang muttered, slowly getting up as she clutched her back, wincing slightly as she stood at full height.

"Weiss, Blake, how about you?" Ruby shouted, looking around for either the faunus or Heiress.

"I'll...I'll be okay..." Weiss managed to say between deep breaths, supporting herself on _Myrtenaster_ as she nearly toppled over.

"Remind me...to never do something like that...again." Blake stated, entering a coughing fit soon after.

"Jaune? How about you?" Ruby shouted, looking around for any sign of the blonde knight or his team.

"We're all okay...I think..." Jaune shouted in response, the sounds of coughing following soon after.

"Wait..." Blake murmured, breathing heavily as she slowly moved forward. "Is he..."

A loud groan soon followed, causing all to focus on the large dust cloud which was just now beginning to settle. In the centre of the cloud laid the Reaper, shifting slightly as he continued to groan. It looked like he wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

"We...we did it..." Weiss weakly said, laughing slightly in joy. "We actually did it!"

"Is he...you know..." Ruby murmured, turning to her team and sliding a finger across her neck.

"No...he's alive..." Blake replied, rubbing the back of her head.

"Then let's go find Ozpin or...someone before he gets up..." Ren managed to say, clutching the side of his stomach.

Ruby nodded in response, turning heel to head back to Beacon. But before she could get far, a wicked laughter echoed around her. Slowly turning to face the cloud of dust, she saw that the dust cloud was now beginning to turn in on itself, forming a small vortex around the Reaper's form. A vortex that was beginning to turn a deep black.

"Guys..." Ruby murmured, warily raising _Crescent Rose_ as she spoke. "I don't think it's over yet..."

The two teams turned and faced the vortex, which had only grown bigger and thicker. Then suddenly, it spread out as if hit by a sudden gust of wind from all angles, coating the area Team's RWBY and JNPR stood. As Ruby recovered from the sudden gust, she saw the Reaper standing in the centre, his body glowing a dark red as he held _Death's Vice_ in their shotgun form.

Then he spun around, far faster than Ruby expected, firing round after round in every direction. As the Reaper got faster, his accuracy somehow increased, pin-pointing the two teams locations with ease. Ruby watched as the rest of her team and JNPR were sent flying to the dirt as the rounds repeatedly hit them. Ruby attempted to deflect the bullets, spinning _Crescent Rose_ out in front of her. Eventually though, her defence wavered, and she was hit by a salvo of bullets, sending her tumbling to the ground.

Ruby groaned in pain as she looked around, the black mist having finally dispersed. The rest of her team and JNPR were unconscious and no doubt badly wounded, but at least they were alive...for now at least. Looking around, she saw _Crescent Rose_ a few feet away, thankfully undamaged by the Reaper's onslaught. She crawled forward, attempting to reach out for the weapon. A heavy boot soon planted itself on Ruby's back, pushing down hard and causing her to scream in pain. She was then forced to turn, and soon found herself staring face to face with the Reaper, who quickly pinned her down with a boot to the stomach. The Reaper then raised one of his weapon's, his finger tightening around the trigger as he aimed at Ruby…

A shot soon rang out across the courtyard as the Reaper suddenly leaned back, a bullet speeding past his head. Turning to face his new adversary, he snarled in displeasure as Ruby also turned, silently gasping when she spotted the figure.

"Qrow..." Ruby whimpered, wincing slightly when the Reaper removed his foot from her stomach.

"Step back Reaper!" Qrow warned, quickly shifting his combat stance as he held out his sword in front of him. "Before someone gets hurt!"

"Branwen..." the Reaper hissed, the venom in his voice clear as day. "I should have known Ozpin would have sent for his lackey."

"I'm not gonna warn you again..." Qrow warned, his voice dangerously low. "Stand down, now!"

"So be it..." the Reaper seethed, quickly shifting _Death's Vice_ into their sickle forms as he charged forward.

Qrow also charged, swinging his blade in a forward arc, Reaper using his Semblance to pass through the strike unscathed and reform behind him. Qrow spun quickly to face him, his blade scraping across the concrete and churning it up slightly. As the Reaper lunged forward, Qrow swung his sword overhead, hitting the Reaper and sending him flying backward, where he rolled backwards and resumed his fighting stance.

The Reaper then sped forward, managing to strike Qrow with three consecutive slashes, each one staggering the aged Huntsman before he managed to parry the fourth, sending both skidding back slightly.

Ruby winced as she attempted to get up and help her Uncle, but accomplished nothing as she fell forward, yelping slightly as she fell on her side.

"Ruby!" Qrow shouted, turning round to face Ruby, holding out his hand as if reaching out for her. "Stay out of this! Please..."

The Reaper took this as an opportunity to strike, lunging forward with his sickles raised over his head. Qrow turned at the last second, jumping back as the Reaper impacted the ground, kicking the Reaper in the face as he tugged the blades free. Qrow then leapt into the air, his blade held in a reverse position over his head and slammed down onto the Reaper's position, who used his Semblance to evade the move. As Qrow tugged his weapon free, the Reaper reappeared, running towards the school with _Death's Vice_ in their shotgun forms, firing blindly behind him.

Qrow blocked the barrage and gave chase, quickly activating his own Semblance and shifting into a crow, quickly catching up with the Reaper. The Reaper turned fully, slowly pacing backwards as he attempted to shoot down Qrow, who circled him overhead. The Reaper then waited patiently as Qrow continued to circle overhead, his eyes trained on the morphed Huntsman. Then, a single shot ran out as the Reaper fired on Qrow, the round hitting where his shoulder would have been, causing him to squawk in pain. Qrow soon landed and shifted back into his human form, clutching his left shoulder whilst seething loudly.

Qrow charged again with his sword at the ready, swinging the blade over his head as they interlocked with Reaper's sickles, the two now pushing against one another.

"It's not too late..." Qrow hissed, pushing the Reaper back. "Stop what you're doing...before it's too late..."

"It was too late long ago..." the Reaper hissed back, pushing Qrow back further. "Turn around and perhaps you'll live to fight another day!"

"Ozpin was right about you..." Qrow seethed, stepping back slightly so he did not fall over from the Reaper's force. "You truly are dead!"

"Took you that long to realise?" the Reaper mused, laughing menacingly as he exerted more force against Qrow.

The Reaper then delivered a kick to Qrow's gut, causing him to stagger backwards. As Qrow turned to face the Reaper, who swung upwards with one of his sickles, slashing Qrow across the chest. As he staggered backwards, the Reaper swung again, sending both of them into the air. As Reaper attempted to continue his barrage of assaults, Qrow suddenly delivered an uppercut of his own, hitting the Reaper and sending him flying into the dirt.

Qrow landed soon after, the Reaper already up on his feet. The two then charged one another again, their blades clashing and rebounding against one another repeatedly. Qrow then swung down again, Reaper blocking the strike with his sickles crossed above him. Qrow attempted to force the blade down, though Reaper forced the blade to the side, leaping over Qrow and kicking him in the back. Qrow quickly turned, attempting to swing the blade through the Reaper's body, only for him to use his Semblance and pass right through the Huntsman and reform a few metres behind him.

Qrow turned once again, growling as he charged forward, the Reaper doing the same with his sickles. As the two got closer, both leapt forward, thrusting their respective weapons forwards. The sound of metal entering flesh soon resounded around the courtyard as both stared at one another, unmoving. Ruby froze as she awaited the result, barely able to stay awake as both her Uncle Qrow and the Reaper continued to stare at one another.

Both stared in silence, neither moving, both of their faces set in permanent scowls. Then, the Reaper thrust forward slightly with his right hand, the sound of flesh being pierced following suite. Qrow's eyes widened in shock as he looked down, one of the Reaper's sickles lodged in his gut. Qrow looked up again, wincing slightly as the Reaper leaned forward slightly, edging closer to his face.

"This is on you..." the Reaper growled, though his voice was almost sad when he said it.

Then with a sickening squelch, he tugged the blade free, Qrow's limp form falling softly to the ground.

"...Qrow..." Ruby whimpered, her eyes brimming with tears as she stared down at the limp form of her Uncle, attempting to shuffle forward, but only screaming in pain when she attempted to move.

"Consider yourself lucky, girl..." the Reaper hissed, wincing slightly as he clutched his left arm. "For now you and your friends live. But next time, your precious Uncle won't be able to save you..."

The Reaper then dispersed into shadow, a stream of mist flowing freely in the wind before shooting out into the night, out of sight. All Ruby could do was shuffle slowly to the body of her Uncle, his face growing pale as a pool of blood formed beneath him.

"Qrow...you gotta wake up..." Ruby pleaded, shaking the limp body of her Uncle as tears streamed onto his body. "...Please...wake up..."

Yet Qrow lay unmoving, his face growing paler by the second. The sounds of people approaching could soon be heard, no doubt teachers attracted to the area by the commotion caused by the fighting, yet Ruby didn't care. With a shaking hand, Ruby closed Qrow's eyes, before laying flat on his chest and sobbed uncontrollably, not caring for those who now approached…

 **00000000**

 **Oh...guess someone DID die after all...I am so dead now, aren't I? Feel free to review and constructive criticism is welcome. Any questions? Feel free to either leave in a review or PM me and I'll answer next chapter for reviews and whenever possible for PM's.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	17. Never Forget

**Hello everyone, yes I'm still alive after that last chapter. I can honestly say that I got the reaction I was hoping for...I think. Normally I would use this time to respond to reviews but considering how 90% of them are all angry Guest reviewer's I think I might have to pass on this one...I'm kidding, though I'll only respond to actual account ones today. Abrams 1559; wow, didn't think you'd take to death and destruction so quickly. OutlastTheDark; can't believe how calm you were about the...incident. And Quentin3655; now he is our Drunk Lord and Saviour in Remnant Heaven! Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 17- Never Forget**

Ozpin looked out the window that spanned over the courtyard of Beacon, the destruction from last night's battle a grim reminder of what they had lost. Ozpin sighed as he turned back to his desk, taking a seat as he poured himself some more coffee. When the alarm had first gone off he had sent both Glynda and Qrow to investigate. Glynda reported later to say another Team had been murdered and that Team's RWBY and JNPR were missing. That was when he had lost contact with Qrow, they had tried contacting him again, and that was when Ozpin had seen them fighting each other.

He had called for all available staff to head there and assist Qrow, but it was too late. By the time they had arrived, all that was left was the unconscious forms of Team's RWBY and JNPR...and Ruby Rose crying over the body of her dead Uncle.

"Why, Qrow?" Ozpin muttered to himself, clenching and unclenching his fists. That should have been him down there, he was the one the Reaper was after.

Ozpin knew the reason that Qrow had gone to fight the Reaper was because of both Yang and Ruby. The two Huntresses were of course in shock after the events of last night. Yang had only just found out when she awoke and was taking the news remarkably well considering her short fuse when in emotional crisis. Ruby on the other hand hadn't stopped crying since the other staff found her, and hadn't said a word since. It was all understandable of course, to see someone die like that. She had been through much, first her Mother and now her Uncle...and Ozpin had the feeling that it would only get worse. This was far from over, and there would be more bloodshed to come.

"Ozpin, this is Goodwitch. I have the footage from last nights attack." Glynda's voice suddenly crackled in, causing Ozpin to turn and face the monitor on his desk.

"Come in." Ozpin immediately replied, turning now to face the lift door in his office, which opened revealing Goodwitch who walked in slowly. "Any development on Yang and Ruby?"

"Yang appears to be recovering from the shock but Ruby..." Glynda paused as she sighed solemnly, shaking her head at the same time. "...I believe it would be necessary to give both Team's time off from classes. They did both survive attempts on their lives after all."

"Agreed." Ozpin stated, sighing as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Have you had a chance to look at the footage yet?"

"Yes, and it's as every bit disturbing as we had feared." Glynda murmured, glancing outside to the gardens of Beacon.

Ozpin gestured to the console, to which Glynda quickly connected the Scroll, starting a video feed. The battle went as Ozpin had suspected, with Reaper starting with the advantage until the two Team's used Teamwork to outsmart him. Ozpin admitted that he was impressed to say the least. To get that many consecutive hits on such a skilled opponent was impressive. Ozpin even fooled himself into thinking the two Teams had been successful when the Reaper laid silent on the ground, seemingly defeated. But Ozpin knew that wasn't the case. Gently tapping the screen, he paused the footage before turning to Glynda.

"It seems our old acquaintance has some new weapons..." Ozpin murmured, narrowing his eyes as he observed the two weapons in the Reaper's grasp.

"Yes, based on his original weapons, though these ones seem to turn into sickles of some form." Glynda replied, removing her glasses as she cleaned them before placing them back on the bridge of her nose. "It seems as though he takes his new name quite literally."

"And it appears he still uses his teleportation to some extent..." Ozpin added, recalling when the Reaper changed into the stream of shadow. "Anything else?"

"Yes..." Glynda replied, sighing loudly as she gestured to the console. "It appears he's learned a new trick."

Glynda then tapped the screen, continuing the footage that had been playing. All seemed normal at first, until the Reaper began to rise up in the middle of the black vortex forming around him. Then he began to glow a deep blood red as the vortex imploded, quickly covering the ground the two Team's stood on. Then he began to spin around, firing the weapons at breakneck speed. Ozpin could only watch as the Reaper's speed and accuracy increased over time, until he had felled both Teams.

"How was he able to do that?" Ozpin enquired, replaying that part of the footage again to see if he had missed anything.

"I...don't know..." Glynda replied, standing still as a statue as she watched the footage again alongside Ozpin. "But that's not the worst part."

Ozpin eyed Glynda curiously as she motioned for the Headmaster to continue watching the footage. Ozpin obliged as the footage continued to play, the Reaper now approaching Ruby to deliver what would have been the killing blow. Then the battle between Qrow and Reaper occurred, the Reaper despite having been fighting for longer still able to keep up with the Huntsman. Then came the moment Ozpin had been dreading, when Reaper delivered the killing blow. As the two veteran's charged to deliver their final blows, Glynda paused the footage again.

"What am I supposed to be seeing here?" Ozpin enquired, raising an eyebrow as he turned to face Glynda.

Glynda only pointed at the screen in response, never saying a word. Ozpin followed where she was pointing, and silently gasped in response. There stood both Qrow and Reaper, face to face with one another...and Qrow's sword piercing Reaper's chest. Ozpin continued the footage, eyeing the Reaper as the black clad assassin then thrust one of his sickles in Qrow's gut, backing away as Qrow fell over, the dead Huntsman taking his sword with him.

"I don't know how, but he survived that attack." Glynda stated, turning to face Ozpin who was still in shock. "He should be dead! How can anyone survive that?!"

"I don't know..." Ozpin murmured, turning to face Glynda again. "But I know one thing. For the first time in many years...I am afraid."

 **00000000**

Ruby sat unmoving from her bed, the tears now silently streaming from her eyes. The others had tried talking to her, in an attempt to get her out of her self induced stupor, though all attempts had failed. Weiss and Blake had decided to leave, hoping that perhaps time alone with her sister would get her to open up more. At least that was the plan anyway.

"Rube's?" Yang murmured, looking up from where she was sat to look up at her half-sister, who didn't even so much as turn. "You wanna talk?"

Ruby didn't respond, causing Yang to sigh silently as she closed her eyes. After a short and uncomfortable amount of silence had passed, Yang turned to face Ruby again.

"Look, I know things look bad now, but we're gonna catch that bastard and-"

"No we won't." Ruby muttered, turning to face Yang, her voice filled with venom, something that surprised Yang. "We thought we could take him and we nearly died! If it wasn't for Qrow..." Ruby's voice hitched as the tears began to stream anew down her face. Yang rose up to attempt to comfort her sister, but stopped when Ruby sent a glare her way. "Besides, we kill him, someone else will just take his place. That's just the way the world is!"

"Wait, 'kill him'?" Yang enquired, her eyes narrowing in confusion before widening in shock. "Ruby...what you're saying-"

"He deserves to die!" Ruby interrupted, turning sharply to face Yang, who flinched at the sudden movement. "He killed Qrow! He deserves to die!"

"Ruby, we kill him, we're no better then he is." Yang warned, slowly walking towards Ruby who was now standing up, her eyes set in a glare. "Look, I know how you feel."

"No you don't!" Ruby stated, turning to face Yang again.

"He was my Uncle too!" Yang retorted, her own anger beginning to rise as she started to lose her patience with Ruby.

"You didn't watch him die!" Ruby shouted back, causing Yang to back away slowly.

"What?" Yang murmured, shocked by this revelation. She didn't know that Ruby had actually seen Qrow die. "Ruby, I didn't know-"

"You don't know anything!" Ruby suddenly spat back. "The only thing you care about is your hair and your Mother!"

Ruby stole a glance at Yang, who now looked like she was on the brink of crying as tears began to well in her eyes, her mouth slightly agape in shock. It was then that Ruby realised what she had said, and she immediately regretted it.

"Yang, I-"

"Forget it." Yang muttered, her eyes now narrowed into a glare despite the tears streaming down her face. "You want to be alone, fine! Be alone!" Yang then turned around, leaving the room and slamming the door behind her.

Ruby sighed as she crumpled on her bed again, glancing at the bedside cabinet next to her. On it were a number of pictures, most of them of Team RWBY. But the one that Ruby really cared about was one of herself at a younger age, Qrow next her, both of them smiling. Ruby once again found herself on the verge of crying as she recalled how the Reaper had killed him and the conversation she had just had with her sister.

"It's just the way the world is..." Ruby whimpered as she closed her eyes. It was at that moment that she recalled something that her Uncle Qrow had told her at a young age. Something that would stick with her for a long time to come.

" _Always remember, never accept the world for what it appears to be. Dare to see it for what it could be."_

Ruby opened her eyes as she recalled the statement. Qrow had first said those words when her Mother had gone missing, and Ruby had entered a similar depression. She couldn't just sit around waiting for the inevitable, she had to act. Everything they had been researching on the Reaper pointed to the old Overwatch Academy, so that was where she was going to go.

And this time, she would make sure no one would get hurt.

 **00000000**

Yang sighed as she headed to the dorm room again. She needed to apologise to her sister for the way she had acted, that much was obvious, and deep down she knew Ruby was sorry as well. She approached the door, lightly knocking on the door to announce her presence.

"Rube's? It's me...are you in there?" Yang asked, staying silent as she awaited a response. When none came, Yang let out a sigh before continuing. "Look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the way I acted, and I know you are too."

Once again, no response came, causing some amount of worry from Yang. She once again knocked on the door, receiving no response again. "Rube's?"

Yang then opted to throw politeness out of the window and simply barged in the room, more concerned then angry. "Rube's why-"

Yang paused when she entered the room, to find it completely empty. There was no sign of the red hooded Huntress or any of her belongings, the only thing that caught her eye was a hastily written note lying on the bedside cabinet.

 _Yang, Weiss and Blake._

 _I'm going after the Reaper, and I don't expect to come back. Promise me that you won't follow me, I don't want anyone else to get hurt. And Yang, I'm sorry for the things I said, I didn't mean them. If I don't return, tell Dad I love him._

 _R. R._

Yang backed away quickly from the letter as if it were toxic, quickly turning around into a sprint. She had to find the others, before it was too late.

 **00000000**

"Can't believe he got Qrow." Mercury grunted as he continued to make adjustments to his new foot, flexing it to make sure it worked properly. "I'm starting to think staying out of this guys way was a good idea."

"I can't believe I'm about to say it, but I agree with you on this one." Emerald agreed, sharpening one of her weapon blades.

"So Cinder, any reason we stopped chasing this shadow?" Mercury asked, turning to face the woman in question once he was happy with his foot.

"I've already told you, my partner believes it is best we stay out of his way." Cinder responded as she overlooked the most recent footage that Neopolitan had acquired of the Reaper. She hated to admit it, but she found herself somewhat impressed with what the Reaper had accomplished. Taking out Qrow was no easy feat, and he had done it both clean and efficiently. A shame that her current associates weren't as lethal as he was.

"Who is your partner? When are we going to meet her?" Mercury then asked, only to grow silent when Cinder sent a cold stare her way.

"I've told you before, you are on a need to know basis and right now you don't need to know anything!" Cinder seethed, causing Mercury to hold his hands up in mock surrender as he leaned back.

"So now what?" Emerald then asked, sheathing her weapon as she turned to face Cinder. "We go back to the original mission?"

Cinder smirked as she recalled asking that question this morning when they had first heard about the Reaper's attack. She had once again contacted her associate to ask her what they should do with this new development. When she had first been told she had once again questioned her choice, more due to how much of a wild card Reaper was, though her associate had told her not to worry.

"Tell me Emerald, how serious were you when you suggested we should work with the Reaper?"

 **00000000**

 **Well, shit is about to get serious. Yes, I did steal Harold Winston's line from the most recent Overwatch cinematic and yes, Reaper did use his 'Death Blossom' ability in the last chapter! In other news I have most recently made a Deviantart account where I post drawings centred on mine and others fan-fics. Liked it? Feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in your reviews and I'll answer them next chapter for Reviews and whenever possible for PM's.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	18. Behind the Mask

**Another day, another chapter. Review response time first. Guest; don't worry, I was well aware that most of the Guest reviews weren't serious. Noob6; you won't find out this chapter as it will refocus more on a character I have neglected recently. Zer0the0mega108; though I sent a PM to you to clarify, I'll mention it here now. My DeviantArt account, for those of you who are interested, is RagingArchon. Guest; I'm thinking of maybe putting Genji in. He's already had a cameo in a past chapter but I think if anything he'll appear in a potential sequel. MachineDog90; you'll find out just what Winston and Jack found out this chapter! OutlastTheDark; thanks for that compliment, wanted to do something original and that came to mind. Warenscape The Squishy; that's putting it lightly, yes. And finally Chroma The Harvester; hope you enjoy the rest of this fic. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 18- Behind the Mask**

Ruby trudged through the streets of Vale's Old Town, kicking a stray tin can carelessly down the road. For a place called Old Town, it actually didn't look that old. Sure, a few derelict buildings here and there but nothing a bit of elbow grease couldn't fix! Well, maybe not the buildings that had collapsed on themselves, but still.

Ruby had taken every precaution she could think of to ensure the rest of her Team wouldn't follow her. She told no one she was headed for the old Overwatch Academy and she had left her Scroll behind so they couldn't track her that way. Was it a smart idea? In hindsight, probably not. For all she knew she could end up in an even dicier situation then she had anticipated, with no one knowing where she is or anything. What if Overwatch Academy wasn't actually abandoned? Or worse, Reaper's Headquarters?

"Okay Rube's...deep breaths..." Ruby whispered to herself, taking in huge gulps of air in order to compose herself. "Keep it together..."

Gripping _Crescent Rose_ , Ruby continued on her journey through the streets of Old Town. She was just over reacting, as if anyone would actually choose to live in an abandoned Academy!

She continued through the streets until she came across a large spacing, which was what she assumed used to be a road. Before her was a large, circular building that reminded Ruby somewhat of Beacon in terms of size and design. A stone plinth sat near the decrepit entrance of the building, the letters that spelt out the name of the building having been removed long ago. The only thing that remained untouched was a circular symbol, covered in dust. Ruby didn't need to brush the dust away to discern the colours however, as she recognised it regardless.

"Overwatch..." Ruby whispered, looking up at the large building with a silent gasp of appreciation.

She remembered every bit of information she had gathered on the closure of the Academy, she knew the story behind it. The Academy was considered corrupt by a number of government officials, but there was no evidence to suggest such a thing. Then one of its critics was assassinated by a member of the Shimada, seemingly under orders of Overwatch. With all evidence suggesting Overwatch to be corrupt to the point of assassinating people, the government officials of Remnant established the 'Petras Act', disbanding Overwatch and citing all actions done in Overwatch's name to be illegal and punishable by prosecution. Overwatch was shut down, and all the Huntsman and Huntresses that had graduated were discredited, turning to Mercenary work while those that had been training were sent to other Academies to restart training.

But Ruby didn't care about any of that. She was here for one reason and one reason only. Reaper. All evidence pointed to a link between Reaper and Overwatch, and if she was going to find anything it would be here.

Slowly, Ruby entered the abandoned Academy, stepping through the shattered glass door. The inside was a tip to say the least, walls had been torn down and wires hung haphazardly from the ceiling. She navigated her way through the corridors, taking note of the discarded robotic parts littered around the area. Someone had been fighting here, recently as well judging by how clean the robots looked. Scavengers maybe, but surely the robots should have been all dusty and stuff, not to mention inactive after all these years.

Some one was here, perhaps they still were.

She continued to traverse the corridors, entering a large amphitheatre of sorts, where the signs of a recent skirmish were more apparent, including a human like robotic foot. As Ruby continued through the corridors, she couldn't help but shake the feeling that she was being watched. Whilst she was positive it was just her being paranoid, she decided to keep a firm grip on _Crescent Rose_ should she need to suddenly use it.

She soon came across a split in the corridor, with one leading down a passageway to the left whilst the other led straight ahead. Following her gut, she turned left where there were a number of room entrances that led into what looked like classrooms, the walls cracked and the desks covered in discarded books. She then entered a circular room with a stairwell that led to an upper level. It was then that the lights suddenly went out, causing Ruby to raise _Crescent Rose_ , shifting it into its Sniper form and loading a fresh ammo cartridge into the weapon. Peering silently through the scope, she looked around the room, checking her corners as she slowly moved forward.

 _SPLAT!_

Ruby turned sharply at the sound of something wet hitting the floor. She looked down in front of her to find...a banana peel?

Confused, Ruby looked around the room to try and discern where the peel could have come from. That was when she decided to look up. She gasped silently before using her Semblance to dash forward, dodging the gargantuan form that had been above whilst also nearly slipping on the banana peel in the process. When she turned around, she saw herself standing face to face with a large Gorilla Faunus, who looked less then pleased with her presence.

Ruby fired a few shots at the Faunus, who raised his arm to shield his face, the bullets instead glancing off his armour. The Faunus then roared at her, yellow electricity arcing off his form as his eyes glowed the same colour and his skin turned red. Note to self, don't anger people with a strength based Semblance.

The Faunus leapt over to her, his arms raised over his head ready to be brought down on top of her. Ruby used her Semblance to dodge the impending attack, zipping towards the stairwell as the Faunus landed with a loud crash. When Ruby turned around, the Faunus was grabbing at the air in front of him, as if dumbfounded by the lack of her presence. The Faunus then turned and locked eyes on Ruby, snorting loudly in anger as he charged forward again. Ruby sprinted up the stairs, the Faunus attempting to grab onto her cape only to grasp one of the Rose Petals created by her Semblance.

Ruby reached the top of the stairwell and rushed to the door on the opposite side, only to skid to a halt when the Faunus landed right in front of her, their arms out wide either side as it once again roared at her. Ruby fired a few more rounds at the Faunus, who once again opted to shield his face from the incoming barrage, swinging wildly with his arms whenever possible. Ruby continued to fire _Crescent Rose_ , only to pause when she realised with dread she was out of ammo.

"Oh no..." Ruby whimpered as she observed the rifle. The Faunus chuckled triumphantly as it then grasped a hold of _Crescent Rose's_ barrel, causing Ruby's eyes to go wide with shock as she realised what was going to happen next.

The Faunus then swung _Crescent Rose_ to his left, Ruby still grasping onto the weapon, letting go as he did a full 180 turn. Ruby was sent flying towards the wall, landing with a loud crash before slowly sliding down the wall. Shakily getting up, Ruby shook her head quickly as she then observed the Faunus charge forward, leaping into the air with an upraised fist. At the last second, Ruby dashed forward, causing the Faunus to instead crash into the wall, causing the wall to crack before giving way completely.

Ruby wasted no time as she chose to dash to the door that she had attempted to get to before. She heard the sounds of rubble shifting followed by an animalistic roar, indicating that the Faunus had recovered from his earlier embarrassment. Ruby skidded around the corner as she heard the Faunus approaching quickly from behind. Ruby passed through another door, powered by a motion detector. As she passed through it, she slashed _Crescent Rose_ above her head, disabling the motion sensor.

The door slammed shut seconds later, just as the Faunus charged forward. Ruby jumped back as she heard the Faunus attempt to break his way through the door, roaring in annoyance as the door didn't give in. Ruby remained silent as she heard the Faunus then grunt in annoyance as she heard them get further and further away from the door, no doubt attempting to find another way into the room. Ruby sighed in relief when she could no longer hear the Faunus, turning her attention instead to getting out of here before the Faunus found a way inside.

That was when Ruby felt the barrel of a weapon resting gently on the back of her neck, followed swiftly by the sound of a weapon's safety being switched off.

"Don't move a muscle..." a gruff voice behind her warned. "Do exactly as I say, and I won't blow your brains out. Drop your weapon and put your hands where I can see them!"

Ruby obliged, dropping _Crescent Rose_ loudly on the floor before raising her arms above her head. She then felt the weapon barrel leave her neck as she heard footsteps moving slowly around her. Glancing to her right, she saw an imposing figure wearing a mask slowly making his way in front of her. In their hands was a rifle that seemed to match the colour scheming of his clothing, indicating either one or both were custom made. The figure then planted their boot on _Crescent Rose_ , dragging it away whilst his eyes were still trained on her.

"Who are you?" the man asked, cocking his weapon up at Ruby slightly as he spoke.

"My name is Ruby Rose," Ruby replied, staring directly at the man who tilted his head slightly at the reply. "I'm looking for information on the Reaper."

"Ruby Rose? Wait a minute..." the man mumbled, turning away slightly before looking back at Ruby. "You're Qrow's niece, aren't you?" Ruby merely nodded in reply, a sad look on her face, something that did not go unnoticed by the man. "I heard what happened, I'm sorry. He was a good man. But what makes you think coming here will give you answers on the Reaper?"

"Me and my Team have been looking into the case and we found sources that linked the Reaper with this Academy." Ruby explained, watching closely as the man slowly backed away from her, though the weapon was still trained on her. "I think there might be a link with some guy called 'John Morrison' or something. Do you know where I can find him?"

Ruby watched as the man then backed away from her, lowering his weapon as he eyed her up and down. "Well kid, you found him..."

Ruby's eyes narrowed in confusion as the man then holstered the weapon onto his back and lifted his hand to his face, grasping a hold of the mask covering his face. There was a loud hiss of compressed air as the man then removed the mask from his face. Hidden behind the mask was a face that looked to be in their mid or late forties, with sharp distinct features. The most notable features were the scars, with one that looked like a burn mark on the left side of his jaw whilst another was a long diagonal cut that travelled from just above his left eyebrow to his right cheek. Ruby also took into account the similarities between him and the picture she had seen of John Morrison.

"You're...you're John Morrison?" Ruby stuttered, lowering her eyes when she saw that the man was no longer holding her at gun point. "Wh-what do you know about the Reaper?!"

"Enough," John replied, placing the mask back onto his face with an audible click. "But I'm not telling you anything."

"What? Why?" Ruby pleaded, clasping her hands together as John simply watched on, his head tilted slightly.

"Because it's too dangerous. Besides, Reaper is my responsibility." John sternly replied, turning to walk away from Ruby only for the red hooded Huntress to intercept him.

"Why is he your 'responsibility'?" Ruby questioned, folding her arms across her chest, an action that John Morrison mirrored.

"Because I made him what he is!" John retorted, more sternly then before.

"He killed my Uncle!" Ruby retorted, attempting to match John Morrison's tone.

"He killed my friends!" John then shouted, causing Ruby to back away slightly. "So tell me, what makes you think you can help?"

"It's not about whether I can help take him down!" Ruby responded quickly, causing John to tilt his head back slightly. "It's about doing the right thing!"

John looked at Ruby, dumbfounded at her response. The sounds of footsteps rapidly approaching caught his attention, and he turned as Winston suddenly crashed through one of the decrepit walls, shaking the dust off of him before he noticed both John and Ruby in the room.

"Jack! You got her did you? Want me to throw her out?" Winston asked, gesturing to Ruby as he spoke.

"Jack? I thought it was John?" Ruby asked, tilting her head questioningly.

John sighed as he shook his head, leaning down to grasp hold of _Crescent Rose_. "It's complicated, technically I'm Soldier 76 but..." John, or Soldier 76 as he seemingly wanted to be called, then threw _Crescent Rose_ at Ruby who quickly caught the weapon. "It doesn't matter. Winston, she can stay for now."

"All right then..." Winston muttered, though he kept a watchful eye on Ruby regardless.

"Come on," Soldier 76 muttered, silently gesturing for Ruby to follow him. "I'll show you what we've got so far."

Ruby nodded, following Soldier 76 and Winston through the hole the latter had made. Ruby followed the pair into a room, where a large number of monitors were on display, all of them about Reaper.

"The Reaper is..." Soldier 76 hesitated, sighing to himself before continuing. "...was a Huntsman once. He was called Gabriel Reyes."

Soldier 76 then clicked a button that connected to one of the monitors, the screen switching instead to a picture of a Huntsman Ruby immediately recognised as Gabriel Reyes. Come to think of it, Ruby thought she had seen Reaper's weapon's before, now she saw they were nearly identical to the ones Gabriel used.

"He was your Team-mate..." Ruby murmured, turning to face Soldier 76. "Your friend..."

"Yeah..." Soldier 76 sighed, shaking his head slowly. "But that was a long time ago. Gabriel is dead, and Reaper rose from the ashes."

"What happened?" Ruby asked, turning to face Soldier 76, who's head was hung low.

"Gabriel and one of our other Team-mates were convinced Ozpin had something to do with Overwatch's shut down." Soldier 76 explained, turning to face Ruby. "He was certain, but I disagreed with him. It was...explosive to say the least. He and his partner, Amélie, went on a killing spree, killing Beacon students left right and centre. Me and my partner, Reinhardt, tracked them to a Dust Factory. There was an explosion and...Amélie and Reinhardt were killed. I was lucky to have survived. I thought Gabriel was dead, but clearly I was wrong..."

"How'd he survive?" Ruby asked, tilting her head slightly. "Shouldn't he have died?"

"I've been looking into that." Winston replied, moving forward as he opened a file showing what looked to be a medical report of sorts. "According to research I've done, the Dust facility was also experimenting on a healing serum of sorts. My guess, Gabriel found it and drank it and...it didn't go exactly as intended. I'm not sure, but I believe he's become an 'Energy Vampire' of sorts, draining the life of his victims in order to sustain himself, making him effectively immortal."

"Wait, so he can't die?" Ruby asked, her eyes narrowing in worry.

"Not exactly, he CAN regenerate wounds, but he can't regenerate immediately." Winston explained, pushing his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. "He can be killed, but not easily."

"Recent footage I've collected shows Reaper alongside this group." Soldier 76 explained, bringing up a number of pictures of a large number of armoured soldiers in strange armour, Reaper amongst them. "We think they're planning something."

"Who are they?" Ruby asked, tilting her head as she looked at the soldiers. They wore Navy blue armour that was similar to SWAT armour, covering their torso and legs. Under the armour was a deep blue shirt and trousers with black gloves covering their hands. Their heads were covered by skull like helmets fitted with respirators, the eye sockets glowing blood red. "Are they White Fang?"

"Worse..." Winston growled, his hands clenching and unclenching repeatedly. "They're called Talon, a human extremist group."

"Why is Reaper working with these guys?" Ruby asked, leaning forward as she observed the Talon operatives, who seemed to be taking orders from Reaper.

"No idea, but he seems to be preparing for something...something big." Soldier 76 replied. "They've been gathering a lot of resources. We think they're building something."

"Building something?" Ruby asked, tilting her head to the side slightly. "What do you think they're building?"

"Honestly kid," Soldier 76 muttered, turning to face Ruby as he spoke. "I have no idea..."

 **00000000**

 **Yes, Talon is in the story now. And just what are they building with Reaper? Find out soon enough. Liked it? Leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either leave in your review or PM me.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	19. Calm Before The Storm

**Another day, another chapter. Nearing the finish line with this story soon, but still got some distance to go. Firstly, review response time! Noob6; pretty much, yeah. It just made sense to me that if a pro-Faunus group existed there would be a polar opposite of it. Drakefire; we might see Winston's squad, or at the very least a mention of them. Trouble for me is finding characters from Overwatch to fit into a team name. And OutlastTheDark; he's not a monkey...he's a SCIENTIST! And yeah, Talon is pretty much going to fuck with everyone. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 19- Calm Before The Storm**

"What do you mean she's gone?!" Weiss exclaimed, her arms stretched out either side of her. Yang had ran in only seconds ago babbling on about how Ruby had just disappeared.

"I mean she's just gone! She's taken most of her stuff and just left!" Yang repeated for what felt like the a thousandth time already.

"What about her Scroll?" Blake asked, stepping forward slightly. "If she's taken it, we could track it possibly."

"No, I saw it lying on the bed." Yang sighed, placing her hands in her face as she sat down. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't left her alone..."

"She would have just left some other time." Weiss argued, reassuringly squeezing Yang's shoulder. "Besides, this is Ruby we're talking about. She'll be fine."

"I'm not so sure Weiss," Yang commented, turning to face the Heiress with a sad look. "You didn't see what she was like..."

As the three remaining members of Team RWBY stood in silence, Yang's scroll suddenly began to buzz, causing the Blonde Brawler to take it out gaze at the screen.

"Unidentified call…?" Yang mumbled, turning to the rest of her Team.

"Can't hurt to answer it, right?" Blake suggested, shrugging her shoulders innocently.

Yang sighed as she accepted the call, holding the device to her face. "Hello? Who is this?"

" _Yang?! Is that you?"_ a high pitch voice replied. A voice Yang recognised immediately.

"Ruby! We've been worried sick about you! Where are you?!" Yang asked, feeling as though a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Who had found her? Who's Scroll was she using?

" _There's no time to explain!"_ Ruby's voice replied, crackling a great deal. Wherever she was she had a poor signal, that was for sure. _"Listen, Reaper is planning something big! He's building something with Talon."_

Blake shivered subconsciously as she heard that name again. Amongst the White Fang, aside from Atlas the biggest threat to an operative was Talon. They used guerilla warfare just like the White Fang, and were responsible for a large number of operative deaths too. She'd encountered them just once, and it was an experience she wasn't going to forget.

"Talon? Are you certain?" Weiss asked, leaning closer to Yang in case she had just misheard the red hooded Huntress.

" _Positive. Listen, you have to warn Ozpin before it's too late. He's the reason Reaper is attacking Beacon!"_

"What you're saying makes no sense." Yang replied, shaking her head in disbelief. "What do you mean-"

" _Listen, I don't have much time left! I have to go, just hurry!"_ Ruby's voice interrupted, only to go silent seconds later, replaced by white noise.

"Ruby? Ruby?!" Yang shouted before looking at the Scroll, to see that the signal had been terminated.

"Why would Reaper work with Talon, he's an indiscriminate killer." Blake asked, her eyebrows tilted in confusion. Something seemed off about this whole situation.

"No idea," Yang replied, turning her Scroll off and placing it back in her pocket. "But if Ruby's right, we need to find Ozpin and ask a few questions..."

 **00000000**

"You think they got the message?" Soldier 76 asked, turning to face Ruby as he caught the Scroll from the red hooded Huntress.

"I hope so..." Ruby sighed, quickly loading a fresh magazine into _Crescent Rose_ as Soldier 76 did the same with _Helix Strike_.

"We can't afford to hope." Soldier 76 stated, strapping _Helix Strike_ to his back as he then checked the pistol holstered on his hip worked properly. "With Reaper, there is no second chance. You face him again, high chance you'll die."

"Which is why I've got to hope..." Ruby muttered back, moving away from the vigilante who only shook his head in disappointment.

"Guys, I've got some good news, some bad news and some very bad news!" Winston suddenly bellowed, jumping down from his perch in front of the two warriors.

"What's the good news?" Ruby asked, acting almost as if the conversation with Soldier 76 hadn't happened.

"The good news is I've finally figured out what Reaper and Talon have been building." Winston replied, stopping a few feet in front of Ruby. "The bad news is they're building a bomb."

"A bomb?! Are you serious?!" Ruby shouted in shock. This was a lot worse then she thought it was.

"Unfortunately I am." Winston replied, readjusting the glasses on the bridge of his nose slightly.

"Think you can disarm it?" Soldier 76 asked, acting far more calmer then Ruby was.

"I should be able to, yes." Winston replied, turning around to type a few commands on the console behind him.

"I hate to ask, but what's the 'very bad news'?" Ruby asked, holding her arm up like a child in class.

In response, Winston merely pressed a button on the console behind him, which lit up in seconds. A video feed popped up immediately, Ruby spotting Beacon far off in the distance. Five Bullheads suddenly came into view, all of them headed for Beacon. The camera feed zoomed in as it traced one of the Bullheads, a large number of armoured men and women becoming visible in seconds.

"Talon..." Ruby whispered, clutching _Crescent Rose_ tightly as she then saw standing front and centre in the Bullhead one in a black coat and a white skull shaped mask. Reaper. "Is this live?"

"Yes, Reaper's made his move." Winston replied, hurriedly switching the monitor off and turning to face the pair. "We need to move, now!"

"Agreed." Soldier 76 nodded, turning to face Ruby and Winston. "We need to get going, now!"

Winston nodded as he quickly grabbed _Lunar Storm_ alongside three small devices, handing two of the devices to Soldier 76 and Ruby. "Here, we'll be able to communicate with one another with these. Save us the trouble of using Scroll's."

"Okay..." Ruby muttered, quickly plugging the device into her ear and wincing slightly when she heard a high pitch whine on the other end.

"Come on, let's get moving." Soldier 76 ordered, rushing out the room followed by both Ruby and Winston.

But before he went any further, Winston turned around and sighed as he let a sad smile creep onto his face. "I'm gonna miss this place..."

With that, Winston left the room and followed the Soldier and the Huntress, leaving Overwatch for the final time…

 **00000000**

"Are you certain about this Miss Xiao Long?" Ozpin asked, propping his hands on his chin as he leaned on the table.

"Yes, Ruby said that Reaper was planning something with Talon." Yang repeated. Weiss and Blake were there to back her up if need be, but had so far stayed silent. "And she also said that Reaper was here for you."

Ozpin sighed as he slowly stood up from his chair, turning around to face the window that overlooked the school ground. Students were milling around down below, minding their own business. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Ozpin turned again to face the three Huntresses.

"Tell me, how much do you know of Overwatch's closure?" Ozpin asked, causing the three Huntresses to turn and face one another in slight confusion.

"We know that one of its critics was assassinated by the Shimada and that Overwatch was believed to have orchestrated the assassination." Blake responded, her own eyes narrowed in slight confusion. Just where was Ozpin going with this?

"That is only a fraction of the truth I'm afraid." Ozpin replied, taking a seat at his desk once more. "Some rumours claim that Beacon masqueraded the entire event to discredit Overwatch. I can confirm that these rumours are indeed false."

The three Huntresses narrowed their eyes once again, still unsure at what Ozpin was getting at.

"And I can also confirm that Overwatch was innocent."

"What?" Weiss asked, stepping forward slightly in slight shock. "What are you talking about?"

"The entire assassination was orchestrated by an outside source." Ozpin clarified, causing the three Huntresses to stare at one another in shock. "Who it was, I do not know."

That last part was a lie, he knew exactly who was responsible for Overwatch's shut down. But he didn't need to add any more worries to these three's thoughts.

"What does this have to do with Reaper?" Yang asked, shaking her head slightly. Ozpin let out a sigh at this, it was time to tell the truth about Reaper it seemed.

"The man you know as Reaper was once a student at both Overwatch and Beacon." Ozpin responded. "His name was Gabriel Reyes, and he was a prodigy in the making. But he was obsessed with finding out the truth about Overwatch's shut down."

The three Huntresses looked at one another in shock. They had done some research on Gabriel Reyes, and he was a minor suspect, but the revelation was still shocking nonetheless.

"After years of research, he came to the conclusion that Beacon was indeed responsible." Ozpin continued, shaking his head in disappointment. "He began attacking Beacon students as an act of revenge, destroying Beacon's legacy just as he claimed we had destroyed Overwatch's."

"What happened?" Weiss then asked, though she wasn't sure she wanted to know. Clearly he was unsuccessful or Beacon wouldn't be here right now.

"Some of his own Team turned against him in the end, and it seemingly ended there." Ozpin replied, looking up to face the Huntresses. "They all seemingly died when they fought at a Dust Refinement factory, an explosion of unknown origin consuming the facility and all in it. I thought he had died, but apparently I was wrong."

"So the Reaper is what? Gabriel Reyes reborn?" Yang asked incredulously. None of this was making any sense to her.

"In a way, yes." Ozpin calmly replied, causing the Blonde Brawler to look at him in confusion. "However, what matters now is that we find out just what Reaper is planning. Thanks to your sister, we know that he has aligned himself with Talon to build a device. We just need to figure out what this device is and-"

The sound of an explosion suddenly echoed across the room, followed by the sounds of people screaming. All four occupants turned at the noise, quickly dashing to the window. Outside, smoke was slowly starting to rise as students were running in every direction away from the blast. Then another explosion occurred, this one far bigger then the last, claiming more lives. The origin of the explosions was soon made clear as five Bullheads came into view, firing rockets at the scattered crowds. The Bullheads then split off in multiple directions, with one of them staying in the courtyard. The sliding doors either side opened, revealing men in armour that quickly descended on ropes from the Bullhead to the ground, quickly picking off many more students.

"Oh no..." Weiss murmured, her hand going to her mouth as she watched silently. "Talon is here already?!"

"Of course, most of the students won't be carrying weapons at this time of day." Ozpin whispered, watching as more members of Talon descended, quickly swarming inside the school. "You have to go down there and help where you can! They have the advantage, and if we don't do something they'll press that advantage!"

"What about you?" Blake asked, stepping forward slightly. They surely couldn't leave him behind could they?

"Believe me when I say this, my office will no doubt become the most dangerous place in this school." Ozpin replied, turning to face the Faunus with a steadfast look. "And it will stay that way as long as I'm here. Now go!"

The three Huntresses nodded as they turned around and headed to the lift, quickly pressing the down button. The doors slid shut seconds later, leaving Ozpin alone in his office. He turned around once again and watched as more members of Talon arrived, firing indiscriminately at the students.

"Checkmate, Reaper. Checkmate..."

 **00000000**

Reaper grinned sadistically to himself as he watched from his Bullhead the chaos Talon was causing. Convincing them to work for him proved difficult at first, but a quick change of leadership quickly convinced them that working for him was in their best interests. Any dissenters had been silenced, and so now he comfortably sat as the head of Talon, one of the largest Terrorist organisations in Remnant. Amélie would have loved it. A shame that Reinhardt and John disagreed with him, they would have made steadfast allies. Reaper watched as the Bullheads then began to split off in separate directions.

Four of them would attack the main school, acting as a distraction to divert their attention. The Bullhead Reaper occupied would then go to another passageway that had been...leaked to say the least. Reaper motioned for the Pilot to lower the Bullhead, to which the Pilot nodded in response. The Bullhead slowly approached the ground, the sliding doors opening as Reaper and the Talon operatives jumped out, quickly scanning the area before nodding to the remaining operatives inside. The remaining operatives then filed out, carrying between them a large box like device with multiple wirings protruding from it.

The group then walked through the cover offered by the gardens around them as the Bullhead then took off, leaving Beacon in its shadow. A few students would accidentally stumble into the group as they attempted to find a safe haven amongst the tree's, but all were felled before they could get far. The Reaper then held up a closed fist as they approached a wall, the group stopping just feet away as Reaper stood still as a statue. Then the wall began to collapse before them, but not from an explosion, almost like a door opening. As the remainder of the wall disappeared beneath the floor, four figures strolled out. One was relatively short and carried a parasol and had an innocent smile that hid her vicious nature. There was also another girl, this one taller with a dark complexion and mint green hair. The only boy in the group was around the same height as the mint haired one, his hair a dull silver colour. Then the leader stepped forward, also female with black hair that covered the left side of her face and had amber eyes that commanded authority.

"I assume this entrance will work for you and your operatives?" Cinder asked, gesturing to the entrance behind her.

"More then enough, as long as it leads where you claim it does." Reaper replied, eyeing the woman known as Cinder suspiciously. He didn't entirely trust this woman, he would rather just kill her. But she had promised him Ozpin's head on a silver plater if she got something in return, and that was an offer he couldn't refuse.

"I assure you, the tunnel will lead you and your men to the generator that powers this complex." Cinder replied, laying her hand on her chest as she spoke.

"We'll see." Reaper murmured, nodding to one of the operatives next to him.

The operative nodded in response and quickly removed the backpack he had been wearing, taking a large black box out of it. He then proceeded to open the box which was revealed to be a control panel, a small eye like device also inside. With the flick of a switch, the device buzzed to life and darted down the tunnel, guided by the control panel. After a minute of silence, the operative turned to face Reaper and nodded, closing the device and stuffing it back in his bag.

"Now that you know I held up my end of the bargain, it's time you held up yours." Cinder responded, one of her eyebrows raised slightly.

"Very well then," the Reaper replied, holding his arms out either side of him in a welcoming manner. "Talon now belongs to your employer. We are at their disposal."

"Good." Cinder grinned, her eyes lighting up with delight. Salem would be pleased indeed to hear that not one, but two terrorist organisations were now at her disposal. "And I have your word your men are fine with this?"

"It doesn't matter what they think, as long as they obey." Reaper sneered, turning around to face the group behind him. "Get the payload moving, now!"

The Talon operatives all nodded in response as they moved inside the building, forming a protective shield around the ones carrying the device. As Cinder moved to walk away, she was stopped by Reaper who quickly held her in a vice like grip, his clawed gauntlets digging into her arm.

"No matter what goes down here today, let me make one thing clear to you." Reaper murmured, drawing closer to Cinder as his eyes began to glow violently. "Ozpin is MY kill. Try anything against him, and I'll kill you myself! Don't deny me this..."

With that, Reaper relinquished his grip and walked inside the building, the door closing behind him. Emerald, Mercury and Neopolitan all watched as Reaper vanished into the shadows before turning to face Cinder, who had a triumphant grin on her face.

"Well, looks like he's on our side for now." Emerald murmured, turning to walk next to Cinder.

"Yeah, big emphasis on the 'for now' part." Mercury agreed, Neopolitan nodding her head in conjunction.

"So, now what?" Emerald asked, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

"Now, we leave. We'll wait to see how successful Reaper and his goons are." Cinder replied, walking away from Beacon as she spoke, her accomplices following suite. "And depending on what happens, we'll see."

Emerald, Mercury and Neopolitan simply shrugged at one another before following Cinder, smoke rising ever higher from Beacon Academy.

 **00000000**

 **Well, that's that. Find out what happens next time. Liked it? Feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in your review and I'll answer them next chapter for reviews and whenever possible for PM's.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	20. The Grasping Talon

**Another day, another chapter. Had quite a tough week here at home so apologies if I seem a little disheartened in my intro. That said, I have decided against doing review responses this week. Hopefully I'll feel better soon once shit sorts itself out here at the 'home-front'. Now, on with the show.**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 20- The Grasping Talon**

Beacon was in complete chaos. Talon had assaulted the school with a large force and had begun pushing further into Beacon. They had initially had the advantage of surprise, catching some of the Students off guard, but now the Students had begun fighting back, easily bottlenecking the assault force and forcing Talon to take a more defensive approach. Bodies of both Students and Talon operatives were littering the floor, staining the carpet's with their blood.

A Talon operative broke cover as he stepped forward to throw a grenade into the cluster of Students that had taken defensive positions at the other end. Seconds later, a round from a rifle hit the terrorist in the chest, causing them to grunt loudly as he fell to the floor dead, the unpinned grenade rolling out of his lifeless grip. The other operatives rushed away as panic enveloped them, the grenade detonating seconds later, most of the operatives being caught in the explosion or sent flying back.

"We need to keep pushing!" one of the higher ranking Talon operatives barked, pointing to the corridor before him. "It won't be long until law enforcement arrive, and the boss wants us in the building ASAP!"

"Yes sir." one of the operatives nodded, taking a few pot-shots from his cover before activating his headset radio. "What's the status of those riot shields?"

" _Riot shields are en route, less then a minute away!"_ a voice on the other end replied, the sounds of gunfire hitting metal sounding nearby.

"Solid copy, over and out." the operative replied, earning a nod of acknowledgement from the higher ranking operative.

"All right boys, prepare to push on my mark!" the high ranking operative ordered, earning nods and shouts of acknowledgement in response.

On the other side of the corridor, the members of Team JNPR hid behind the makeshift barricades as they and a number of other Students took whatever shots they could at the terrorists. Most of the teachers were defending the more vulnerable quadrants of the school, leaving this sector to the Students to defend. They had done reasonably well too, forcing Talon to go on the defensive rather then a full on push as they had planned.

"Something doesn't seem right." Pyrrha stated as she loaded another round into _Miló_.

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked, being a solely melee combatant having forced him to act as an extra spot of cover for the other Students, holding his Shield out in front of him to block bullets.

"Talon knew the risks of attacking the school, which is why they've never done it in the past." Pyrrha stated as she quickly broke cover to fire a single round before ducking again, a faint grunt of pain from the other side following shortly after. "So what's changed? Why attack now when security in Vale is higher then average?"

"I don't mean to interrupt but I think we have bigger issues!" one of the Students shouted, pointing over the barricade.

When Pyrrha and Jaune followed the Students finger, they saw a small row of Talon operatives walking forward in unison, large metal shields acting as a barricade against the onslaught of bullets coming their way.

"Uh, think you can move them?" Jaune sheepishly asked, his mouth agape slightly as he turned to face Pyrrha.

"Maybe, but I could end up exposing myself." Pyrrha replied. If she used her Semblance right, she could effectively push back the incoming force. But the defensive manoeuvre could leave her exposed to other Talon operatives still in cover. She had seen some with what appeared to be tasers attached to their weapons, and she did not want to let herself get hit by them.

"Then we'll go with plan B." Jaune replied, turning to face Nora who had taken cover next to Ren on the other side. "Nora! Think you can hit behind them?"

"No problem Jaune!" Nora shouted back, giving the blonde knight a thumbs up.

Leaning out of her cover slightly, Nora aimed _Magnhild_ in an upwards arc before firing the grenade launcher. The other Students watched as the volatile pink projectile flew over the Talon operatives before landing at least a metre behind them, detonating and sending the shield bearers flying forward with a chorus of panicked and surprised screams.

"Screw this! I'm getting the hell out of here!" one of the operatives still in cover shouted, quickly turning around to run, some of the others following suite.

"What the-" the high ranking operative stuttered as he watched the majority of the assault squad quickly make a break for the exit. "Shit, fall back!"

The Students began to cheer as the few remaining operatives quickly broke cover and ran for the exit, leaving the corridor in their dust.

"We did it!" Nora cheered as the Students began to advance forward quickly, Nora kicking one of the downed terrorists in the groin as she passed, causing him to wheeze in pain.

As the Students formed a new defensive perimeter in the corridor, Jaune's Scroll suddenly lit up as a caller made its way through. Jaune took the device out of his pocket and quickly activated it, Yang's caller ID becoming visible on the device.

" _Vomit boy, how are things over at your end?"_ Yang's voice asked, gunfire echoing all around her. Judging from what it sounded like, they were engaging what sounded like a larger force.

"All clear this end, Talon has been pushed back." Jaune replied quickly, watching as some of the Students aimed their weapons at the Talon operatives still alive. "What's it like down at your end?"

The sound of a gunshot was heard, followed by a yell of pain before Jaune received his answer. _"Some of their guys broke through over here, they were carrying some big device of some sort."_

"Don't worry, we'll send help." Jaune replied, wincing slightly when he heard Yang yell in pain before another gunshot was heard, followed by yet another scream of pain before the Scroll went silent. "Okay, uh, Nora and Ren! Take some of these guys and help out at Yang's position, we'll stay here and make sure Talon doesn't try a retaliation!"

"On it." Ren nodded, quickly turning and running down the corridor, followed by Nora and a handful of Students.

"I hope they're not too late." Pyrrha murmured, the tip of _Mil_ _ó_ pointed at the chest of a Talon operative, who held his hands up in surrender in response.

"Me too." Jaune quietly replied, watching as Ren and Nora led the small force out of sight.

 **00000000**

Ruby sped through the streets of Vale towards Beacon Academy alongside Winston. Soldier 76 had opted to go a different way, preferring to traverse through the shadows instead. As expected, the entrance to Beacon had been cordoned off by Police as they rushed to assemble a large and competent strike force to take back Beacon. Easier said then done considering how badly the massacre at the Forever Falls had affected them.

"We'll never get through in time." Ruby whispered as she and Winston watched from a distance as law enforcement officers gestured for the public to back away from the scene.

"Not through that way," Winston quietly replied before he activated the headset to contact Soldier 76. "Jack, what about you? Where are you?"

" _Making my way through, I'll be in touch."_ Soldier 76 replied before going silent, earning an annoyed growl from Winston.

"It's annoying when he does that..." Winston muttered before turning to face Ruby.

"So how are WE going to get up there?" Ruby asked, pointing to the top of the plateau Beacon rested on.

"About that, I might have an idea..." Winston replied, gesturing for Ruby to follow him.

Ruby complied, following Winston until the Faunus was sure they were out of sight. "So, gonna tell me that idea of yours?"

"Right," Winston replied, pushing his glasses up slightly as he rubbed his eyes. "Before I got involved in all of this, I was developing a thruster pack of sorts. When activated it will give a boost of speed, and if used correctly can act as a 'catapult' of sorts for when jumping."

"Sounds cool..." Ruby murmured as she looked Winston up and down. "Where is it?"

"I'm wearing it..." Winston replied, gesturing to his back. Ruby leaned forward slightly as she stared at the Faunus' back, where a strange device was connected to the back plating. "Just hop on my back and we'll be off."

"Err, okay." Ruby replied, complying with the Faunus and jumping onto his back as he started to turn multiple dials on his belt, the thruster pack humming to life slowly. "So did you ever test this thing?"

"Only once." Winston replied as he finished turning the dials and braced himself for a jump. "It blew up, but don't worry. I've done the calculations and I think the success chance has increased to a 32.33% chance of success. That's repeating of course."

"Wait, what?!" Ruby shouted, becoming increasingly nervous as the thruster pack hummed even louder. "Are you sure there isn't another way inside? Like a secret passageway or-"

Ruby was cut off as the device suddenly activated, the roar of the thruster packs engines being drowned out by Ruby's panicked screams as she clung onto Winston with an iron grip. Winston instead held his hands out as they rapidly approached the cliff face, bracing himself for the landing. Winston then grasped hold of the rocky outcropping, shuddering slightly as he landed. Winston looked around as he gazed down from his vantage point before looking up, the peak of the plateau still a distance away.

"Ha ha, it worked!" Winston laughed as he stole a glance at Ruby. "Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"

Ruby didn't reply immediately, her eyes wide with terror as her grip on the Faunus tightened. "H-how far are we?"

"Still quite a distance away." Winston replied as he looked up again. "But don't worry, a few more jumps and we'll be up in no time!"

Ruby only whimpered in response as the Faunus proceeded to activate the thruster pack again, propelling them closer to the top.

 **00000000**

Yang let out a primal yell as she punched yet another Talon operative in the face, his helmet cracking from the impact as he was sent flying backwards. Most of the Students that had been defending the area were already dead, allowing a number of operatives to break through, carrying a small device between them. They of course had tried to stop them, but Talon were focused on stopping them from achieving that goal. Out of the few Students that were defending the corridor, only Yang, Weiss, Blake and a few others were left.

"How many of these punks are there?!" Yang shouted as she fired a round from _Ember Celica_ at a crowd of Talon operatives, the miniature explosive sending the terrorists flying in all directions. It was like they beat down one and another two take their place.

"I don't know, we just have to hold out long enough until Jaune's reinforcements arrive!" Blake replied, quickly taking cover behind a corner as she inserted a fresh clip into _Gambol Shroud_.

Yang simply growled in annoyance as she charged a Talon operative who was edging towards her, firing controlled bursts from his rifle. Yang ducked beneath the shots and proceeded to shoulder barge the terrorist, sending him flying towards the wall where he then left a visible crack before slumping down.

"More are coming!" Weiss suddenly shouted, quickly ducking down as bullets flew over her head.

Yang turned and saw another sizeable assault group quickly charge through, firing at Students as they made their way forward. Yang quickly leapt forward, ready to deliver a Dust fuelled punch right in the centre of the group. Then she felt a sharp stabbing pain hit her in the back of her thigh and pull her down mid leap. Turning around, she saw that the operative she had just shoulder barged had sat up and fired some sort of wired dart at her, their finger tightening on the trigger.

Yang then writhed in pain as an electrical current shot up through the wire and into her body. Yang then felt more sharp pains in her arms and stomach as three more operatives fired their tasers at her, completely immobilising her.

"Yang!" Blake shouted as she moved to break cover, but was stopped when more Talon operatives began to fire at her position. Weiss also attempted to make a dash for Yang, but was also stopped for the same reason.

Yang attempted to stand but the electricity arcing through her made the attempt seem futile. Yang looked up as two more operatives rushed forward, their rifles aimed at her head. Yang sent a glare their way as the two operatives stepped forward slowly, ready to execute.

"The cavalry has arrived!"

All present in the hallway turned rapidly as Nora came charging forward, _Magnhild_ raised over her head as Jaune's promised reinforcements finally arrived. The two that had been ready to shoot Yang moved forward and fired their tasers at the hyper active Huntress. Nora staggered back at the initial impact, dropping _Magnhild_ as the barbs hit her arms. As the electrical currents then began to surge through into her system, rather then crumple onto the floor, she began to tense up. The Talon operatives cocked their heads in surprise as Nora then began to laugh maniacally, wrapping the wires around her wrists and grasping hold of them. The two Talon operatives stepped back in surprise before looking at one another. One of them stepped further back as he quickly dropped the weapon, holding his hands up in mock surrender. His associate wasn't nearly as fast enough.

The Talon operative let out a scream of surprise as Nora swung around rapidly, causing the operative to collide with multiple other Talon operatives, including the ones holding down Yang. The Talon operatives grip then finally relinquished, where he was sent flying towards a wall where he landed with an audible grunt. A shelf that had been resting above him shook violently as he hit the wall, sending a vase that had been sat on the shelf toppling over and hitting his stomach, where he let out another pained grunt. Nora turned to face the last few operatives that were still standing, watching as they hurriedly began to back away before going into a full on sprint.

"What time do you call this?" Yang winced as she pulled the taser barbs out of her body, small droplets of blood forming where the spines had pierced flesh.

"Look, what matters is that they got here." Blake stated as she, Weiss and the few remaining Students gathered around Nora, Ren and the reinforcements. "Right now we need to-"

Blake stopped as the sounds of screams echoed around from the direction the Talon operatives had run in. The Students winced as they saw the hall light up, a primal roar and uncontrolled bursts of gunfire adding to the symphony of screams. Then two operatives rushed from behind the corner, one hurriedly sprinting whilst the other was firing at an unseen adversary. A Talon operative then screamed as he was sent flying towards one of the operatives, hitting him and being sent flying even further into the air. The one that had been fleeing staggered back as his allies were downed before he continued into his retreat. The sound of a Sniper Rifle going off soon followed as the operative then yelled in pain as he tumbled onto the floor, clutching his knee. The Students braced themselves for anything as the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps came closer. Seconds later, a heavily armoured Gorilla Faunus barrelled around the corner, skidding to a stop, followed by a certain Red Hooded Huntress.

"Ruby!" Yang shouted as she barged past the line of Students, making a beeline for Ruby who turned her way as she heard her name.

"Yang!" Ruby shouted back, dropping _Crescent Rose_ on the floor as she charged her sister, gripping her in a tight hug that was returned. "Oh god Yang, I'm so sorry about what I said!"

"Just shut up Rube's!" Yang laughed, tears of joy beginning to drip down her face as she tightened her grip on Ruby. "Are you hurt? Where were you?"

"We can explain later." Winston interrupted, causing both Huntresses to turn and face the Faunus as he likewise faced the pair. "What's the situation here?"

"Talon managed to break through our lines." Blake replied, causing Winston to look up at her. "They were carrying some sort of device."

"What did it look like?" Winston asked, stepping forward slightly as he spoke.

"It was large and spherical. Do you know what it is?" Blake enquired, her eyes narrowed in worry.

"I think so, I just hope I'm wrong." Winston replied, scratching his head slowly. "In case I'm right, I'm going to need to get in there myself. I'm going to need to some help reaching it though, where are the Staff of this facility?"

"They're still fighting Talon forces, but last we heard they were starting to retreat." Weiss replied, waving _Myrtenaster_ haphazardly. "If we wait, we can-"

"They'll take too long, that's exactly what Talon wants." Winston interrupted, sighing as he rubbed his brow. "Can any of you fight still?"

"Yeah, still have a bit of fire left in me..." Yang replied, cracking her knuckles loudly as Winston turned to face her. Weiss and Blake also nodded in response, alongside a small handful of Students. "Where we headed?"

"That depends, what would you say is the most central place in the school?" Winston asked, his eyes narrowed as he looked at the volunteers.

"That would be the Great Hall," Blake replied, gesturing behind her as she spoke. "It's not far, but we've had no contact with any Students in that area since the attack started."

"Then that's where Talon will be." Winston stated, before nodding towards the volunteers. "You lot with me, I'm going to need some back up. The rest of you stay here and make sure Talon don't try a retaliation."

The Students nodded as they split off into their respective groups, defence and assault. After picking up _Crescent Rose_ off the floor, Ruby went to join the assault group, but was stopped when Winston held out his hand in front of her.

"Not you. Stay here and keep your ear open for Soldier 76." Winston replied, before leaning forward and speaking in a hushed whisper. "Besides, I think you've done more then enough."

"You're scared Yang will beat the snot out of you if I get put in any more danger, aren't you?" Ruby deadpanned, her eyebrow raised questioningly.

"That too." Winston admitted, nodding slightly in agreement.

"Fine, I'll stay here." Ruby sighed, turning away and joining the defence group. "Good luck guys!"

"We'll be fine Rube's, just stay safe!" Yang shouted back as she rushed to join the assault group, quickly disappearing out of sight.

Ruby smiled slightly as she then turned around and pointed _Crescent Rose_ down the corridor, waiting for any Talon operative to show up.

 **00000000**

Soldier 76 grunted loudly as he clung onto the edge of the plateau Beacon sat upon. Hefting himself up seconds later, he let out a sigh of relief before drawing _Helix Strike_ , pointing the rifle in all directions before sprinting forward. Police forces had cordoned off the main entrance for Beacon, forcing him to use alternate means to reach the Academy. After finding no other means to do so, he had opted instead to simply climb the cliff face, easier said then done. Soldier 76 continued forward, moving towards the main entrance of Beacon where he could rendezvous with Winston and-

Soldier 76 skidded to a halt upon seeing an opening in the wall ahead of him. He aimed _Helix Strike_ down towards the opening, slowly approaching the entrance. What was a door doing here? Something wasn't right.

"Winston, what's your status?" Soldier 76 asked, activating his headset radio.

" _I think I know where Talon have taken the bomb."_ Winston's voice replied, crackling slightly. _"What about you?"_

"I've found an entrance in the side of the school, I think Talon have used it to get inside." Soldier 76 replied, leaning forward slightly as he gazed down the tunnel.

" _Are you sure? That would fit the reports, we saw five Bullheads yet the Students here claim they've only been hit by four boarding parties..."_ Winston stated, before grunting slightly. _"I don't like this Jack, it all smells rotten to me."_

"Agreed, I'm going in." Soldier 76 quickly replied, causing Winston to grunt in shock and confusion.

" _What? You can't be serious! If Talon has been using that entrance, then there's a high chance Reaper was with them!"_

"All the more reason to go in." Soldier 76 retorted, checking his ammo pouch for fresh rounds. "Look, I'm going in. We can't take the risk."

Soldier 76 could hear Winston sigh loudly as he contemplated what he had said. _"All right Jack, but be careful."_

"Copy that, over and out." Soldier 76 responded, turning the corner and heading straight into the darkened tunnel.

 **00000000**

 **That's that chapter finished, stayed tuned next week. Liked it? Feel free to review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either leave in your review or PM me and I'll answer next chapter for reviews and whenever possible for PM's.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	21. You're The Bomb!

**I'm back bitches, and in more ways then one! Things have finally sorted themselves out back home and I'm back to my usual self. Also, Happy St Georges Day! So, just gonna do review responses from the last chapter before we get started. OutlastTheDark; glad you liked the chapter man, and bonus points if you spotted the 'Recall' references in the chapter. Drakefire; I ran through the calculations, and I have determined that there is a 99.99% chance that a version of WoW exists in Remnant. That's repeating of course. And well spotted! Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 21- You're the Bomb!**

"The Great Hall should just be up ahead!" Blake shouted, pointing out in front of her. True to what she said, the doors leading to the Great Hall were in front of them, stained by both scorch marks and fresh blood. Winston skidded to a halt in front of the door, motioning for the Students to stop as well.

"All right, any idea how many Talon agents made it through?" Winston asked in a hushed tone, not wanting to risk Talon potentially hearing them.

"I counted at least twenty, but I've no idea about the other quadrants of Beacon that got hit." Blake responded, her hand tightening around _Gambol Shroud's_ grip.

"Guys," one of the Students beckoned in a hushed tone, standing near a shattered window. "over here!"

Winston and some of the other Students slowly moved forward to the opposite side of the window, which the Student was motioning inside the building. Winston slowly leaned forward and observed the inside of the structure, taking in every detail. A large number of Talon operatives were gathered in the Great Hall, the majority clustered around a large device. Many more were walking around, planting their weapon barrels against the back of seemingly dead Students necks and firing, ensuring they were indeed dead. Winston let out a low growl at the debauchery he was witnessing, his hands clenching into fists. A Talon agent turned in their direction, Winston quickly ducking his head away from the window and lying against the wall. The sound of someone approaching slowly was heard, followed by the sound of a weapon's safety being turned off. Winston held his breath as the footsteps became louder and louder. What followed next was a long and uncomfortable silence as Winston awaited the inevitable.

"Must be my nerves acting up..." the Talon operative muttered, quickly lowering the weapon and retreating back to his colleagues, causing Winston to sigh in relief.

He quickly motioned for the group to head back to the main door where the other Students were waiting for them.

"How many?" Weiss asked in a hushed tone, her head zipping back and forth between Winston and the main door.

"I counted at least forty, all clustered up in the centre of the Hall." Winston sighed, rubbing the back of his head slowly.

"We'll never take on that many by ourselves!" Weiss hissed in response, pointing at the door with _Myrtenaster_ as she spoke. "There's only ten of us, and we've all faced more then enough for one day!"

"You're right, we can't take all of them in a head on assault." Winston agreed, before a large grin spread across his face. "But I don't intend to."

"You have a plan?" Yang asked, her hand planted on her hip which was tilted to one side.

"The foundations of a plan, yes." Winston nodded, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he mulled over his options.

"The foundations of a plan isn't an actual plan." Weiss retorted, earning a few nods of agreement from some of the more sceptical students.

"Well it's better then no plan at all." Winston argued, earning more nods of agreement.

"What's your plan?" Blake finally asked, wishing to be done with the deliberation. The longer they spent arguing the more time Talon had to do whatever they were here for.

"I'll cause a distraction, the rest of you charge in when you see my signal." Winston quickly explained, turning around to clamber up the walls of the Great Hall.

"What's the signal?" Yang asked, her hands spread out as she narrowed her eyes.

"You'll know it when you see it." Winston replied, continuing up the walls until he was out of sight.

The Students looked around at one another in confusion, some of them shrugging their shoulders. Blake slowly made her way to the shattered window the others had been using to spy on the Talon forces, descending into a kneeling position as she slowly craned her head through the gap, the other students following suite.

"All right, the boss is in. Stand guard and make sure no one gets in!" one of the Talon officers barked, earning a large number of 'yes sirs' in response.

The Talon operatives were soon surrounding the device, their Rifles and Pistols trained on every possible opening. The sound of something heavy clattering above them caused all the agents to crane their weapons up in response, all of them turning around slowly as they tried to distinguish where the noise came from.

"Fan out, check for hostiles and remember to watch your six!" the officer shouted, motioning for the force to fan out. The operatives nodded in response, all but six of them moving away from a large device situated in the centre of the room.

"What is that?" Yang asked in a hushed tone, dipping her head low when a Talon operative aimed his sights in their direction before moving on.

"I don't know..." Blake responded, watching for any sign of Winston.

The six clustered around the device scanned the area ahead of them, the officer in the centre of the small cluster. A loud bang echoed across the room, causing all the operatives to turn and face the direction of the noise. All then proceeded to fire at the area, causing a large amount of debris from the ceiling to fall down, causing dust to fly everywhere. As the dust settled, the Talon operatives loaded fresh ammo clips into their weapon as they observed the hole they had just made.

"Get a light up there and see what we-"

The officer was interrupted as the large hulking figure that was Winston dropped from the shadows right on top of him, the force in which he hit the ground knocking him out cold. With the element of surprise still on his side, he then proceeded to grab one by the ankle and throw him towards some of the Talon operatives clustered around the pile of debris, knocking over five of them, followed quickly by grabbing one by the face and smashing it down onto the ground. One of the operatives had managed to recover from the shock and had now began to fire at Winston, the bullets either being absorbed by his Aura or bouncing off of his armour. Shielding his face, Winston leapt forward and grasped the Rifle in his hands, forcing it towards more of the operatives who were quickly felled by the barrage of bullets. As the other two began to fire at him, Winston threw the operative he held in his grasp towards the final two, who managed to duck beneath their comrade. As the operatives attempted to recover from their evasive action, Winston rolled between the two operatives before turning around to face the two, where he grasped hold of the back of their heads before slamming them together, causing both operatives to grunt in pain as they spun around before falling over.

"That was the signal!" Winston then shouted, using his hands to cover his face as the remaining operatives began to encroach on his position.

The Students nodded towards one another before charging through both the shattered window and the door, yelling indecipherable war-crys as the Talon operatives turned swiftly at the new arrivals, caught completely off guard.

"I knew I heard something!" the Talon operative who had nearly discovered the group shouted before Weiss summoned a flame glyph beneath him, causing him to stagger back in surprise before being sent flying into the air by the following explosion.

Yang ducked beneath Rifle fire as she charged towards one of the operatives, unleashing a blast from _Ember Celica_ which hit an operative in the chest, causing him to fly backwards towards another pair, causing a minor domino effect to occur. Blake fired _Gambol Shroud's_ ribbon at a retreating operative, the bladed ribbon piercing the wall right in front of the operative. As the stunned operative followed the ribbon's length, Blake charged forward, hitting the operative with the butt of the weapon, causing the operative to stagger back from the blow. As the operative recovered from the punch, Blake danced around him, wrapping the ribbon around his neck and pulling him over her shoulder before proceeding to hit him again in the face.

As the Students slowly began to turn the tide in their favour, Winston turned to face the device they had been guarding so defiantly. Grasping hold of the cover plate, he used every ounce of strength in him to pull it free, tossing the now bent plate away where it hit a Talon operative on the head, knocking him out cold. As Winston turned to face the device, he gasped in pure shock and horror.

"Oh no..." Winston stammered, blinking rapidly to ensure he wasn't just seeing things.

The last of the Talon operatives finally fell to the onslaught of Students, some of them laughing as they began kicking the operative, who was flailing around on the floor like an upturned turtle. As the Students began to celebrate their victory, Blake noticed the distraught Winston, causing her to frown slightly.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Blake finally asked, approaching the Gorilla Faunus. Had he been hurt? Was his equipment damaged?

"It was a decoy..." Winston finally murmured, causing Blake to narrow her eyes in confusion. "A Red Herring..."

Blake finally looked at the device before Winston, which was nothing but an empty metal shell.

"A Red Herring for what?" Blake asked, kneeling down next to the Faunus, who slowly turned to face her with sad eyes.

"For the real threat..." Winston finally replied, getting up quickly as he beckoned for the Students to leave immediately.

 **00000000**

"Sir, the payloads been uncovered, they know it's a fake." one of the Talon operatives informed Reaper, who slowly turned to face the operative.

"Took them long enough." Reaper calmly replied, moving forward at a calm pace, followed by his chosen few operatives. "We will have plenty of time."

The operative simply nodded in response as Reaper continued to lead the way, the other operatives scanning the small corridor as they surrounded the group carrying the box like device. Soon the corridor began to open up more as the group fund themselves in a large circular room with multiple levels made up by steel barricades and metal grating. In the centre of the room was a large pillar like device, a metal fence surrounding the pillar to stop anyone from outside coming into contact with the pillar, which was arcing off large amounts of electricity, giving the room a blue hue.

"This is it. This is the generator." Reaper murmured, turning around to face the gathered operatives. "Start planting the charges."

The Talon operatives nodded and turned to face the ones carrying the crate, who slowly lowered the crate onto the ground. After typing a few commands on the control panel locking the box, it opened with an audible hiss, revealing a large number of small but volatile charges. The Talon operatives then began handing the small explosives to their fellows, who then began clamping the devices to the walls.

"Place four charges on each level, spread them apart at an even distance." Reaper ordered, gesturing to the levels above him. The ones carrying the explosives nodded and went to complete their assigned task, leaving a large number of operatives unassigned. "The rest of you fan out and secure the area, leave no corner unchecked."

The Talon operatives all nodded in response, many ascending the stairways to check the upper levels whilst five went back through the tunnel to ensure no one had followed them. Reaper then grunted to himself as he cracked his knuckles, turning around to face the generator's control panel, overlooking the many buttons and control dials.

"Let's notch things up a level shall we..." Reaper muttered to himself, laughing without humour as he began to turn multiple dials, turning to face the generator as it began to shoot out large arcs of electricity, red lights flashing up on its surface.

If the explosives wouldn't overload the generator then this surely would. As far as he was concerned, Talon was expendable. The Soldiers with him now were just members of a faceless army, easily replaced. When the generator detonated either due to the explosives or the shear amount of energy being pumped into it Beacon would be consumed. All except Ozpin's office. He had done the maths, and if he was correct the explosion would topple the tower. Ozpin would be wounded when his office crashed, but alive nonetheless. And Reaper would be safe and sound, in no small part due to his Semblance. And then he would finish what he had started so many years ago…

 **00000000**

" _Jack! Are you there?!"_ Winston's voice shouted through the earpiece, causing Soldier 76 to stop in his tracks as he began to reply.

"Yeah I'm here, what's the situation?" Soldier 76 calmly replied. Winston sounded desperate, whatever he was calling for it wasn't good.

" _The bomb was a dud! The device was just an empty shell!"_ Winston then stated, causing Soldier 76 to sigh slightly.

" _Are you serious?!"_ Ruby's high pitched voice suddenly interrupted, causing Soldier 76 to wince slightly as her voice pierced his eardrums.

" _Unfortunately so,"_ Winston solemnly replied. _"Jack, we need to get the Students out of here! Talon have finally fallen back but I need your help."_

"No can do," Soldier 76 quickly replied, holding _Helix Strike_ up slightly as he scanned the corridor before him. "I think I know where Talon have taken the bomb."

" _What are you talking about?"_ Winston asked, only to gasp slightly seconds later. _"The passageway you found!"_

"Yeah, I think the parties that attacked Beacon directly were a distraction for the real bomb." Soldier 76 confirmed, slowly moving forward.

" _Do you have any idea where that passageway leads?"_ Winston then asked, causing Soldier 76 to scan the corridor quickly. His eyes stopped dead when he spotted a small metal panel that listed multiple safety warnings as well the name of the area he was approaching.

"Looks like they plan to hit the generator." Soldier 76 replied, scanning the ceiling which had multiple wires running along it, feeding power to the rest of the Academy.

" _The generator? I can get there! I'm not that far away!"_ Ruby's voice once again interrupted.

" _No! I need you to stay here and help!"_ Winston shouted back, followed by the sound of Ruby groaning loudly.

" _But-"_

" _No 'buts'!"_ Winston interrupted, followed quickly by Ruby grunting in annoyance. _"Jack, if you can find the bomb I can guide you through the disarming process, but you have to get there fast."_

"No problem, I'll stay in touch and inform you when I find it." Soldier 76 replied, edging closer towards the generator room.

" _Solid copy, and be careful. High chance Reaper is there."_

"Roger that, over and out." Soldier 76 replied, turning his earpiece off as he held _Helix Strike_ up slightly, moving quickly through the corridor.

As he continued through the tunnel, he froze as he heard footsteps rapidly approaching. He should have known. Talon were no doubt back tracking, making sure they weren't followed. He could take them easily, but no doubt the noise caused by the fighting would alert them all to his presence, leaving him in a situation he didn't want to be in. Scanning the corridor for any sign of an exit, his eyes landed upon a metal grating connected to a vent. He looked back and forth between the grating and the passageway, the footsteps becoming louder.

He jumped up and grasped hold of the grating, lifting it up quietly before slipping in through the gap and closing it behind him. The vent was surprisingly spacious and appeared to be strong enough to take his weight. He watched through the grating as five Talon operatives filed past him, oblivious to his presence. As the operatives soon went out of sight and sound, Soldier 76 proceeded to crawl through the vent, looking for a potential opening to clamber out of.

The vent soon traversed upwards, causing Soldier 76 to instead clamber up the vent shaft. After a few minutes of clambering up, he found the vent finally stopped, a metal grating blocking his path. Slowly pushing the grating open, Soldier 76 clambered out of the vent, gently landing on a metal platform overlooking the rest of the room. Looking around, he saw multiple other levels, all of them crawling with Talon operatives. He turned to his left at the sound of someone climbing up the stairway. He quickly charged forward, grasping hold of the hand rail and launching himself feet first into a Talon operative, who fell back with an audible grunt into a crowd of other operatives.

Before the operatives could recover, Soldier 76 drew _Helix Strike_ , firing burst rounds at the downed terrorists, killing them all before they could even defend themselves. Soldier 76 then rolled forward as the other operatives became aware of his presence, making their way to his location. Soldier 76 broke cover a few times as he fired burst rounds at the approaching terrorists, but quickly knew he would soon be outnumbered. And so he retreated to the shadows.

"Fan out!" one of the operatives ordered, slowly moving forward as the other remaining operatives began to encroach on the platform.

Soldier 76 watched from the shadows as the Talon operatives began to spread out, covering both the top walkway and the one he was currently on. He counted at least fifteen operatives. More then enough to take him combined. But he wasn't going to give them that chance.

An operative approached his hiding place, his back turned to him. Big mistake. Soldier 76 grasped hold of the operative from behind and pulled him into the shadows, wrapping his right arm around his neck whilst his left arm locked around his arm. The operative let out a strangled noise as he attempted to claw at his arm, but he could not find a grip on the leather sleeve. After a few futile seconds of struggling, Soldier 76 tightened his grip considerably, a wet snap following shortly after. Soldier 76 then proceeded to gently lower the limp body onto the floor, making sure to keep him out of the light. One down, fourteen to go.

Soldier 76 then subtly made his way around the complex, changing cover when he was confident no one was watching. In less then a minute the Talon operatives on his level were all dead. Now to move onto the top level. He slowly made his way up the stairs, crouching low as he rolled into cover. He had his eyes on five operatives, all of them now on high alert after losing contact with so many operatives in such a short time.

Soldier 76 waited as one of the operatives backed up towards him, oblivious to his presence. Soldier 76 then moved forward to take him out like he had the others. As he moved forward however, the flooring beneath him creaked beneath his weight. Soldier 76 froze as he looked down before looking up to face the operative. The operative was now highly alert, slowly turning to glance behind him. Then with lightning fast speed he spun around to deliver a roundhouse kick in his direction. He was fast, but not fast enough.

As the foot neared his head, Soldier 76 grasped hold of his ankle and pulled it up, knocking the operative over on to his neck. Grasping hold of his leg with both hands, Soldier 76 then forced the leg down, the applied pressure snapping his neck. Soldier 76 then rolled away as the remaining four operatives began to fire at him. Soldier 76 charged an operative, quickly drawing his pistol and firing a round into his helmet, the visor cracking and seeping blood as the operative fell back.

One of the operatives charged from behind, attempting to hit Soldier 76 from behind with the butt of his Rifle, only for Soldier 76 to weave beneath the blow and behind him. Soldier 76 then grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and threw him towards the generator, the metal barricade stopping him from falling off the edge. As the operative recovered, Soldier 76 charged and delivered a kick to his stomach, causing him to topple over regardless. Soldier 76 watched with mild interest as the Talon operative came into contact with the generator, watching as the Talon operative shrieked in pain as his body slowly disintegrated.

Gunfire around him quickly brought him back to reality, causing him to roll backwards behind cover as the final two operatives closed in on him.

" _Jack! I've got some bad news!"_ Winston's voice suddenly interrupted. _"I've lost contact with Ruby, some of the Students said she ran off after our conversation. I think she's gone for the generator!"_

"Kind of busy here Winston!" Soldier 76 seethed, breaking cover to fire a few rounds at the two Talon operatives with his pistol, both diving for cover.

" _Have you found the bomb yet?"_ Winston asked, pausing slightly when he heard yet more gunfire.

"I think so, I found a few charges placed around the generator on one of the levels. Chances are they're on all of them." Soldier 76 responded as he quickly broke cover, charging to where one of the operatives were hidden, kneeing him in the gut before quickly grasping hold of him in a head lock before snapping his neck.

" _Charges? Are you certain?"_ Winston asked, waiting on Soldier 76 as more gunfire resounded around him.

Soldier 76 charged the final Talon operative who was backing away rapidly from the vigilante, firing controlled bursts in a last ditch attempt to kill him. Soldier 76 ducked beneath the barrage of bullets before delivering a kick to his chest, knocking him off the edge where the operative screamed in horror, followed swiftly by a wet crunch as he landed on his head.

"Positive." Soldier 76 finally responded, quickly holstering his pistol.

" _This might be easier then I thought then..."_ Winston murmured, silently deliberating on himself. _"By any chance did they have a handle that was turned horizontally?"_

"Yeah, though it looked like they were meant to be going vertically." Soldier 76 responded, stopping in his tracks. "Why?"

" _Then this will be relatively simple."_ Winston casually replied, sounding far calmer then he had been earlier. _"You have two options, either disarm them all manually or simply gain hold of the arming device."_

"Sounds easy." Soldier 76 replied, sighing in slight relief. "Who has the trigger then?"

"Who do you think?!"

Soldier 76 turned rapidly at the voice, drawing his pistol yet again. As he scanned the area, he saw a black mist beginning to congregate a few feet from him. The mist then began to rise through the grated floor, rising higher as it began to take a corporeal form, before landing with a heavy thud. Soldier 76 tightened his grip on his pistol as the form took on more distinguishable features, until finally it took the form of Reaper.

" _Jack, what's going on down there?!"_ Winston's voice asked, sounding once again panicked. _"Jack, can you hear me?!"_

"Sorry Winston..." Soldier 76 murmured, reaching for the earpiece with his free hand.

" _Jack? Jac-"_

Winston's voice cut off as Soldier 76 plucked the earpiece out of his ear, dropping it on the grated flooring, Reaper watching him inquisitively.

"At long last, the illustrious Soldier 76..." Reaper laughed maniacally, quickly drawing _Death's Vice_ from his robes and aiming the Shotgun's at the vigilante. "I've been DYING to meet you..."

 **00000000**

 **Well shit, that just happened. As always, feel free to review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either leave in your reviews or PM me and I'll answer next chapter for reviews and whenever possible for PM's.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	22. Duel of Fate's

**Hey guys, another tough week I'm afraid. Not going to talk about it because I don't want to be the guy who lays out his troubles in an attempt to get publicity. So, review response time instead. Guest; well, you'll find out how the chapter goes down shortly. OutlastTheDark; it's those helmets I tell you, visors are too small! And hey, puns aren't Reaper's speciality...or mine actually. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 22- Duel of Fate's**

Soldier 76 stared at the hollow sockets of Reaper's mask, his fists tightening and unclenching as the terrorist slowly began to stalk forward, _Death's Vice_ aimed at him. He knew it would eventually come down to this, but he didn't realise how hard it was going to be. This was his Team-Mate, is partner, his friend. If there was a chance that part of the man that was Gabriel Reyes still existed then he wasn't going to kill him.

"Don't do this Gabriel, it's not too late!" Soldier 76 pleaded, holding his hands out in front of him.

"What?" Reaper hissed, lowering his weapons slightly as he cocked his head to the side in confusion. "How do you know that name?"

"Because it's me, Gabriel..." Soldier 76 replied, lifting his hands as he slowly removed the mask covering his face, revealing it to Reaper.

Reaper stood up straight as he staggered back in shock, _Death's Vice_ nearly slipping from his grip. "Jack?"

"It's me Gabriel..." Soldier 76 replied, letting the mask slip from his hand, the object clattering on the grating. "I didn't die in that explosion...just like you."

"You are nothing like me!" Reaper hissed, stepping forward slightly. "I fought to reveal the truth whilst you wanted to protect a lie!"

"Listen to me Gabriel! Ozpin wasn't responsible for what happened to Overwatch!" Soldier 76 reasoned, stepping forward himself. "Come with me, and together we can find out the truth."

"I found out the truth long ago, and you refused to listen to me!" Reaper hissed yet again, his eyes beginning to glow red. "Do you know what they did to those within Overwatch? What happened to those Ozpin framed? They butchered them and their legacy...so I'll butcher Ozpin's!"

"Do you even listen to yourself!" Soldier 76 shouted back, his arms held out either side. "If what you say is true, then this makes you no better then they are!"

"Don't act so high and mighty Jack!" Reaper spat back, his voice cold as he uttered Soldier 76's name. "How many innocent people have died by your hand in your quest for 'justice'?"

"Don't do this...please..." Soldier 76 finally pleaded, holding out his hand. "Before it's too late..."

"It's already too late, Gabriel DID die in that explosion. There is only the Reaper now." Reaper responded, his grip once again tightening on _Death's Vice_. "Besides, I've made an alliance with someone who will change the very foundations of Remnant alongside giving me Ozpin's head!"

Soldier 76's hands dropped to his side as his face suddenly became wrought with horror and shock. "What have you done?"

"You know, it's not too late for you Jack." Reaper then murmured, his voice almost sympathetic. "Join me, and together we can finally deliver justice on that Bastards head."

Soldier 76 stepped back slowly as Reaper held out one of his hands imploringly. When Soldier 76 looked up at Reaper's eyes, he saw eyes that still saw him as a friend...eyes of someone who didn't want to kill him. Yet despite this, Soldier 76 knew what had to be done.

"I'm sorry Gabriel," Soldier 76 murmured, quickly entering a fighting stance. "But I can't let you do this."

Reaper stepped back at this, his eyes filled with sadness. Yet the sadness was quickly overtaken by hatred as his body stiffened. "So be it...Soldier."

Reaper raised _Death's Vice_ quickly and unleashed a salvo of bullets at Soldier 76, who quickly rolled backwards in response whilst drawing _Helix Strike_. He then unleashed a barrage of bullets from the Rifle at Reaper, he rolled to the side in response whilst firing his own shots at Soldier 76. Reaper then took cover behind the ventilation shaft, quickly reloading _Death's Vice_. He then broke cover, watching as Soldier 76 slid down the stairway and onto the second floor.

Reaper laughed to himself as he quickly activated his Semblance, his shadowy form easily slipping through the gaps of the grated floor. As he approached the next level, he deactivated his Semblance, becoming corporeal once again. He raised his weapons and scanned the level, yet saw no sign of the vigilante.

"Where are you?" Reaper murmured to himself, walking forward slowly as he scanned both the level he was on and the ones below him.

He then heard the sound of something light hitting the floor near a vent, and spun around to meet it, unleashing a torrent of blasts from his weapons till they ran dry. As he spent the last loaded bullet, Reaper paced forward, quickly loading explosive rounds into one of his Shotguns as he approached the vent. Raising the weapon, he circled the vent...to find not a single speck of blood.

Reaper then turned rapidly as Soldier 76 then leapt from the shadows, catching the terrorist slightly off guard. He raised the loaded weapon to fire at Soldier 76, but the vigilante was faster, firing a round from his pistol, hitting Reaper in the shoulder and causing him to drop the weapon as he seethed in pain. Quickly shifting the other Shotgun into its Sickle form, Reaper backed away towards the wall as he dodged a lunge from Soldier 76, who had discarded the pistol and drawn _Helix Strike_ , shifting it into its Machete form.

Soldier 76 followed through with the lunge with a clockwise strike which Reaper swerved out of the way of, slowly drawing closer to the wall. Soldier 76 then followed through again with an uppercut, Reaper ducking beneath the blow and kicking Soldier 76 in the gut, causing him to let out a grunt of pain as he fell onto his back. Quickly jumping up again, Soldier 76 charged again, their blades clashing against one another as Reaper grasped hold of Soldier 76's wrist with his free hand and planted his boots against his chest. With a swift tug, Reaper pulled Soldier 76 over his body, sending the vigilante over him, who rolled forward and spun around to meet him again.

Soldier 76 then stepped forward and swung his weapon in a forward arc, Reaper ducking beneath the blow and ducking once again when Soldier 76 performed a counter swing. Reaper then lunged forward with his first strike, his Sickle quickly becoming locked in Soldier 76's left arm as he used his other to push against Soldier 76's sword arm. After a few seconds of struggling, Soldier 76 managed to free his arms and push Reaper back, causing the terrorist to grunt in surprise as he staggered back, dropping his Sickle in the process.

Soldier 76 went on the offensive again, swinging his Machete counter clockwise though Reaper managed to push the blow back by the hilt, though was quickly forced to step back as Soldier 76 delivered a counter swing. Before he could complete the manoeuvre however, Reaper grasped hold of the butt of the blade and pushed forward, sending Soldier 76 spinning backwards. Reaper then shoulder barged the vigilante, sending him staggering even further. Soldier 76 let out a primal yell as he attempted to strike again, though Reaper caught him by his wrists and threw him to the side, though Soldier 76 quickly followed through with the momentum and rolled forward, quickly rising and turning to face Reaper.

Quickly shifting _Helix Strike_ into its Rifle form, Soldier 76 unleashed a torrent of bullets at Reaper, who quickly activated his Semblance and sped for cover amongst the corpses of the Talon operatives that littered the floor. Quickly grabbing a circular Riot Shield from one of the cadavers, Reaper hid beneath the Shield and stalked forward as Soldier 76 continued to fire at him. Realising his bullets wouldn't pierce the Shield, he shifted _Helix Strike_ back into its Machete form and swung forward, Reaper side stepping the blow as the Machete scraped against the Shield. Reaper then drew back his fist and punched Soldier 76 in the face, following through by locking his Sword arm against the wall with the Shield.

As Reaper drew his fist back for another punch, Soldier 76 struck first with his free hand, staggering Reaper back and freeing his wrist in the process. As Reaper staggered back from the blow, Soldier 76 grabbed him by the scruff of his robe and threw him against the wall. He then delivered a strike with his Machete, though Reaper managed to block the blow with the Shield, the weapon making an ear splitting scraping noise as Soldier 76 continued to apply pressure. Reaper then activated his Semblance and slid beneath Soldier 76's arm, before becoming corporeal behind him.

Soldier 76 turned to face Reaper, who still hid behind the Shield. With a growl, Soldier 76 lunged forward with an overhead strike, Reaper sidestepping the strike as Soldier 76 then delivered a clockwise strike, the blade scraping against the Shield. Reaper then thrust forward with a punch which was quickly dodged before Soldier 76 swung in a forward arc. Reaper also dodged the blow and bashed the Shield against Soldier 76 who staggered to the side from the blow. As Reaper circled the vigilante, Soldier 76 delivered a kick to his gut, causing the terrorist to stagger back from the blow.

Soldier 76 then thrust forward with his Machete, though Reaper sidestepped the blow and delivered another bash with the Shield which Soldier 76 spun out of the way of. As Soldier 76 backed away from Reaper, he leapt forward and thrust the Machete forward, though Reaper sidestepped the blow and kicked Soldier 76 in the gut, causing the vigilante to spin from the blow before he followed through with a thrust, the blade actually piercing the Shield. But as Soldier 76 attempted to pull the blade out, Reaper spun around clockwise, quickly causing Soldier 76 to lose his grip on the weapon. As Reaper stepped forward, he pulled the Machete free from the Shield and turned to face Soldier 76 again.

"Last chance Soldier," Reaper growled, swinging the weapon in his hand methodically. "Stand down, and MAYBE I might let you live."

Soldier 76 quickly held up his fists as he entered a fighting stance, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "I've been holding out on you so far buddy, I could do this all day long."

In response, Reaper lunged forward with the Machete, Soldier 76 easily dodging the blow. Reaper then followed through with a reverse strike, Soldier 76 catching him by the wrist and bending the arm back slightly, causing Reaper to hiss in pain as Soldier 76 then kicked him in the back, causing him to lose his grip on _Helix Strike_ and stagger onto the ground. As he slowly rose up, Reaper then flung the Shield at Soldier 76 like a Frisbee, the vigilante ducking beneath the projectile as Reaper then went to grasp for his Sickle again.

The two then charged forward again, their weapons clashing against each other as they then began scraping against one another. Soldier 76 then delivered a kick to Reaper's gut, sending him tumbling down onto the ground in a crumpled heap. Soldier 76 then charged forward and punched Reaper in his mask, creating a large crack alongside the right side of the mask before backing away again. Reaper began to hiss in pain as he rubbed his free hand against the fracture, pulling it free and revealing a portion of his face to Soldier 76.

Soldier 76 staggered back in shock as he looked upon a small portion of his face that was visible. His right eye and the area around it was now visible, the iris having turned blood red whilst the sclerae was as black as his pupil. His skin was an ashy grey colour, the outline of his socket also visible as black veins ran across his face, a small cut gushing blackish red blood on his cheekbone where Soldier 76 had punched him.

"Like what I've become?" Reaper chuckled, his visible eye narrowed as he continued to laugh.

"You're a monster!" Soldier 76 growled as he recovered from the initial shock, quickly grasping _Helix Strike_ with both hands.

"We're all monsters Soldier." Reaper quickly retorted, tilting his head to the side as he watched Soldier 76's face scrunch up in anger. "It just takes some of us longer to realise it then others!"

Soldier 76 then let out a roar as he charged forward, swinging his blade in a counter clockwise arc. Reaper rolled out of the way of the blow and quickly rose from the ground, both of them once again clashing blades with one another as Soldier 76 pressed forward, forcing Reaper to back away. Reaper lunged again though Soldier 76 quickly parried the blow and kicked Reaper in the gut, causing him to grunt in pain as he slammed against the wall again. Soldier 76 then thrust forward with his Machete again, Reaper dodging the blow as he backed away.

Soldier 76 tugged his blade free and advanced on Reaper, quickly swiping in a forward arc with the Machete which Reaper parried. Soldier 76 then counter swung with the Machete, the blade once again clashing with the Sickle. Soldier 76 then delivered a number of strikes against the Sickle, though Reaper parried them all. As Soldier 76 shoulder barged Reaper, he side stepped the body blow, allowing him to elbow the vigilante in the face. As Soldier 76 staggered back, Reaper grasped him by his left shoulder and raised his Sickle to deliver a strike.

Before he could deliver the blow however, Soldier 76 thrust his arm forward, causing Reaper to miss the blow whilst also losing his grip. The two then continued with their assault, neither one tiring as their weapons endlessly clashed against one another. As Soldier 76 pressed forward, Reaper once again grasped his left arm, though Soldier 76 pulled himself free from his grip and slashed forward erratically, causing Reaper to quickly back away. As Soldier 76 recovered from his attack, Reaper quickly grasped him by his face and slammed him against the wall, causing the vigilante to let out a muffled grunt of pain as the back of his skull hit the metal wall.

Soldier 76 quickly freed himself from the lock and grasped Reaper by his head and head-butted him, causing the terrorist to stagger back. Soldier 76 then thrust forward with the blade pressed against Reaper's neck, his other hand grasping onto his weapon hand. Reaper managed to keep the blade at bay with his free hand, where he quickly flipped backwards over the vigilantes Sword arm and pressed his feet against his chest. Using the momentum, Reaper then threw Soldier 76 away from him, the vigilante tumbling onto the floor before he regained his footing, looking up to face Reaper.

"Face it Soldier, you've lost!" Reaper panted, his visible eye narrowed as he held out his hands either side of him. "I can't die!"

Soldier 76 sighed slightly as he lowered his head. He was beginning to tire now, and Reaper was right, nothing he could do could hurt him. As Soldier 76 looked up he remembered something that Winston had said. He could easily heal wounds, but a large discharge could potentially kill him. His mind then went back to the Talon operative he had thrown over the edge and the grisly death that had followed when he hit the generator. With a grim smile, Soldier 76 laughed without humour as he swung his Machete in his hand.

"I'm willing to take the risk." Soldier 76 announced, his eyes narrowed in determination.

Reaper growled as he then lunged forward, Soldier 76 parrying the blow with a strike of his own, causing the Sickle to fly out of his hand as it clattered onto the grating. As Reaper watched his weapon fly from his grip, Soldier 76 delivered a ground level kick to Reaper's legs, causing him to fall to the ground flat on his face. Reaper then rolled out of the way as Soldier 76 thrust down with the blade, only for it to become lodged in the grating.

As Soldier 76 attempted to dislodge the Machete, Reaper delivered a kick to his chin, causing Soldier 76 to lose his grip as he staggered back. Reaper then jumped into a standing position as he pressed his advantage, punching Soldier 76 with a right hook to the face, quickly grasping his shoulder with his left and delivering a gut punch, causing Soldier 76 to keel over in pain as he then grasped hold of the vigilantes head and kneed him in the forehead. Soldier 76 staggered back as he rubbed his face, a small cut dribbling blood on his forehead. Reaper then grasped him by his face again and slammed him against the wall again, drawing his left hand back to deliver a left hook.

Soldier 76 quickly dodged the blow and shoulder barged Reaper, quickly crushing him against the wall as Reaper attempted to claw at his arm. He then pushed his head against the wall and dragged it along, a sickening scratching sound following as Reaper attempted to push the vigilante away. Soldier 76 then threw Reaper against the floor, who quickly spun around to face the vigilante, the left side of his mask now adorning fresh scratch marks. Reaper turned to crawl away, quickly spotting his Shotgun he had dropped at the beginning of the encounter.

He grasped hold of the Shotgun's grip as Soldier 76 grabbed him by his ankle and flung him against the barrier that separated them from the generator. As Reaper rolled onto the floor, the weapon once again slipped from his grasp, where it landed next to the Machete, as Soldier 76 rapidly approached him. He then grasped him by the scruff of his robe and pressed him against the barrier, his hands now clamped around his neck. Reaper attempted to push away from Soldier 76, though the vigilante didn't so much as flinch as he drew closer to the generator. In a last ditch effort, Reaper grasped hold of his shoulder and dug one of his clawed fingers into the arm, causing Soldier 76 to yell in pain as Reaper's finger wormed its way through the clothing and into his flesh.

Eventually, Soldier 76 managed to push Reaper to his side, freeing him from his grip before he grasped hold of the back of his head and threw him forward. Reaper stumbled forward as he spun around to meet the vigilante, who quickly kicked him in the gut where he fell to the ground next to his Shotgun. Reaper lunged for the weapon, though Soldier 76 quickly pinned his hand down with his boot. Soldier 76 then pulled the Machete free from the grated floor as he held it up above his head.

"Any last words before I split you in two?" Soldier 76 panted, his eyes narrowed in anger.

"Go rot in a sewer..." Reaper growled back, his visible eye narrowed as well.

As Soldier 76 readied himself to deliver the finishing blow, Reaper's finger managed to find purchase on the Shotgun. Tilting it to the floor slightly, Reaper pulled the trigger, the explosive round hitting the floor and detonating, sending both flying backwards as the small explosion consumed the small segment of the walkway.

Soldier 76 slowly picked himself up off the floor as he coughed up a large amount of smoke before spitting on the floor, a small trace of blood dominating the saliva. Soldier 76 spun around to see no sign of the Reaper, the walkway covered in small patches of fire with a gaping hole in the middle. Soldier 76 turned to face the generator, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw no sign of damage. Soldier 76 then slumped forward in front of the hole as he wiped his forehead, the small cut that he had received from the fight having grown larger.

"I'm getting too old for this shit..." Soldier 76 murmured as he took deep intakes of air, quickly retrieving _Helix Strike_ from the floor. The weapon had been irreversibly damaged from the brawl, it was completely useless now. He would have to salvage what he could from it before making a new one. Fortunately, he knew a guy that could help.

"Jack?!" a high pitched voice suddenly shouted, causing Soldier 76 to turn in its direction. "Where are you?!"

"Ruby..." Soldier 76 whispered to himself as he remembered what Winston had told him only minutes ago. She still sounded like she was some distance away, no doubt either having defeated the remaining Talon forces or had managed to slip past them unnoticed like he had.

As Soldier 76 rose from his position, he froze. He wasn't sure, but he swore he could hear...whispering.

He then gasped in pain as he felt something sharp pierce his right shoulder and go through his chest. He looked down and saw the end of a Sickle poking out of the right side of his chest. As he fell forward, a hand suddenly grasped him by the left shoulder and pull him back. When Soldier 76 turned, he gasped as he saw Reaper stood behind him, his clothing and armour tattered and scorched from the explosion, his visible eye narrowed in anger.

"Don't worry," Reaper murmured quietly into Soldier 76's ear, twisting the Sickle around in the wound, causing Soldier 76 to let out more pained grunts. "You'll live long enough to see her die!"

Reaper then kicked Soldier 76 in the back, pulling the Sickle out as well as the vigilante fell through the hole, landing with a pained grunt as blood slowly began to pour out of the open wound. Reaper then muttered in disgust as he backed away from the hole, leaving the vigilante to die…

 **00000000**

 **Well shit, that escalated quickly. Next week, the penultimate Chapter! Will Ruby finally get her revenge, or will the Reaper triumph? Find out next week! As always, leave a review if you liked it and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either PM me and I'll answer them whenever or leave in your reviews and I'll answer next week.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	23. Death Comes

**Another day, another chapter. This story is almost finished, but still this and another chapter left. I've also been playing the Overwatch Open Beta and it's kick ass! If you're here because you're a fan of RWBY more than Overwatch, I implore you to check it out! Open Beta is available on PC, PS4 and X-Box One and is available until May 9th. First, review response time! Dragonsoul1; Insert diabolical evil laugh here… MWAHAHAHAHAHA! Guest; thanks for the compliment. And who knows, Ruby may have a trick or two hidden up her sleeve. OutlastTheDark; you are not over-thinking for once, I did indeed steal the title of one of the only good things in the prequel trilogy. As for their relationship before Overwatch, they were apparently really good friends during the Omnic Crisis until the UN replaced Reyes with Morrison as the Overwatch Strike Commander. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 23- Death Comes**

"Gotta find Jack! Gotta find Jack!"

Those were the words Ruby repeated to herself as she sprinted around the School, looking for an access point of some form for her to make her way to the Generator. Winston had told her to stay put and help with the evacuation, but she wasn't going to stand around helplessly whilst Reaper did god knows what under Beacon. She had to do this, make him pay for everything he'd done to her, her Team, the Students...Qrow. But if she wanted to make him pay, she needed to find him first.

She was about to complete her first lap of the Academy. Jack had said he had found a hidden entrance into the Academy, she just had to find it, that's all. As she came close to completing a full circle, she skidded to a halt when she spotted five figures scanning the surrounding area, their backs to a large opening.

"Talon..." Ruby whispered to herself, quickly diving for a nearby bush to better conceal herself. If Talon were guarding the opening then it must've led to something important.

Ruby ducked lower as a Talon operative made his way to her, not having noticed the hooded Huntress. If he got close enough to her location, she could easily make a stealth take down. All she had to do was ensure that she made no noise and-

" _Ruby! Are you there!"_ Winston's voice suddenly blared out, causing Ruby to wince as she clutched her ear, the Talon operative turning her direction with his Rifle aimed precariously at her.

"What the-"

Ruby dashed out, knocking the Talon operative off his feet as she barged past him. She sped past the other four operatives, who all turned rapidly in an attempt to track her. As Ruby passed the last operative, she slammed _Crescent Rose_ into the dirt, churning up a large amount of soil as she skidded to a halt. Almost immediately after stopping, five laser sights found themselves pointed at her head and limbs, the Talon operatives barking orders at her.

"Freeze!"

"Don't move!"

"Move and you're dead!"

"We have you surrounded kid." a female operative, clearly the leader of the group, ordered. "Put the Scythe down and place your hands on your head, now!"

"Can't we just...you know, talk about this?" Ruby asked, laughing sheepishly to herself as the operatives all looked at one another.

"This is your last chance!" the woman stated, tightening her grip on her Rifle. "Drop the weapon and-"

Ruby charged forward with aid from her Semblance, delivering a high kick to the operatives chin, sending her into the air before she delivered another kick to her chest, sending her tumbling towards another operative. She then charged a third operative who had begun to fire at her, sweeping his legs out from under him with _Crescent Rose_ before slamming the butt of her weapon onto the back of his head, knocking him out.

"Drop her!" the female operative shouted, quickly rising as she and the other four operatives began to fire their weapons at her.

In response, Ruby began to spin _Crescent Rose_ out in front of her, the bullets ricocheting off her weapon. As the operatives began to slowly move around her, Ruby backed away slowly, ensuring the operatives were always in front of her. She eyed one to her right, who had started to reload his Rifle, quickly dashing towards him and slamming the butt of _Crescent Rose_ into his gut, causing him to fall onto his knees. She then spun around him, shifting _Crescent Rose_ into its Sniper form and used the operative as a rest for the weapons barrel, shooting two operatives in their legs before hitting her cover with the butt of the weapon.

The leader, having realised she was the last one standing, quickly fired her under-barrel taser at Ruby, hoping to catch the Huntress whilst she was off guard. Having spotted the stunning barbs seconds before they could hit her, she shifted _Crescent Rose_ back into its Scythe form and weaved her weapon around the tasers wire and swung her weapon forward, sending the taser back at her. Realising her mistake too late, the leader stood frozen in shock as the taser barbs hit her, sending an electrical shock through her system and causing her to spasm on the floor uncontrollably. Smiling to herself, Ruby quickly loaded a fresh magazine into _Crescent Rose_ , watching as those still conscious writhed around on the floor in agony.

"Good talk guys." Ruby chuckled, merrily skipping forward towards the passageway they had been guarding.

"No it wasn't..." a Talon operative muttered, clutching his leg as he winced in pain.

" _For god sake Ruby, answer already!"_ Winston's voice suddenly shouted again, causing Ruby to pause in her tracks.

"Look Winston, I don't care what you say, and yeah, you're probably right, what I'm doing is stupid!" Ruby shouted through the earpiece, sighing loudly to herself before continuing. "But I have to do this! What sort of Huntress would I be if I ignored the problem? I'm going in to face him, and nothing you or anyone says is going to stop me!"

" _I know Ruby, and that's not why I'm calling."_ Winston then said, causing Ruby to narrow her eyes in confusion as she continued to listen. _"It's Jack, I can no longer contact him."_

"What?" Ruby murmured, her eyes going wide in shock. "What happened?"

" _Who do you think?"_ Winston solemnly replied. It didn't take much effort for Ruby to realise just who Winston was talking about.

"Reaper..." Ruby whispered, tightening her grip on _Crescent Rose_ at the mere mention of his name.

" _Under normal circumstances, I would tell you to high tail it out of there, but I know that won't work with you."_ Winston sighed, cursing himself for what he was about to say next. _"But I think Jack is going to need all the help he can get, don't you?"_

Ruby's eyes widened as Winston spoke those words. He was giving her a chance to fight Reaper! And this time, she wasn't going to let him beat her!

"I'll find him, and help beat Reaper!" Ruby stated, gripping _Crescent Rose_ even tighter.

" _Good luck, Huntress."_ Winston responded, his voice fading as the connection was terminated.

Ruby quickly unclipped the magazine inserted in _Crescent Rose_ currently and replaced it with one she had saved for just the occasion. Heavy Duty Ballistic rounds, could pierce Armour at long range and can completely obliterate it at close range. Hopefully they would deal with Reaper, or wound him a great deal at the very least. She ensured the new rounds slotted into her weapon correctly before dashing into the tunnel, quickly weaving her way through the passageway.

That was when she felt the ground shake slightly, dust dribbling through cracks in the ceiling. Ruby paused in her tracks as she steadied herself, looking around to see if any more explosions would follow. Confident that none would, Ruby continued through the passageway.

"Jack?!" Ruby shouted, quickly increasing her pace when she received no response. "Where are you?!"

As she continued through the passage, she slowed down upon seeing flashes of blue light ahead of her. Slowing down to walking pace, Ruby made a bee line for the light, freezing immediately upon spotting its source.

In front of her was the Generator, yet it was shooting out deadly bolts of electricity, and surging with it as well, more so then it should do. In front of her was the body of a Talon operative, his head twisted awkwardly to the side as if he'd fallen and landed on his head. On the walls were multiple charges beeping with a bright red light, seemingly four on each level.

"Uh...Winston? I think Reaper's done something to the Generator." Ruby whimpered, quickly looking around for any sign of Soldier 76. Where was he?

" _What do you mean?"_ Winston asked, his voice oblivious to the danger that lurked beneath the ground.

"It's shooting electricity all over the place! It looks like it'll overload!" Ruby explained rapidly, turning sharply as she heard the clattering of metal behind her.

" _Dammit! He must have done it in case the charges were compromised!"_ Winston grunted, sighing loudly before continuing. _"I'll walk you through it as best as I can, but you have to take care of those charges first!"_

"Okay, how do I do that?" Ruby asked, peering around cautiously as she spotted a shadow move swiftly across the floor.

" _Either disarm them individually or take care of the trigger, whichever is easier!"_ Winston explained, Ruby nodding slightly to herself.

"All right then...where's the trigger then?" Ruby murmured, freezing as she heard soft whispers behind her.

She spun rapidly with _Crescent Rose_ as it locked itself with a long curved blade, before the wielder kicked her in the chest, causing her to stagger back against the wall. When Ruby looked up, she froze. There stood Reaper...or what was left of him. His robes and Armour were tattered, scorched and torn in multiple areas, his skull like mask shattered slightly, revealing a portion of his face. Holstered to his hip was one of his Shotguns, though it looked barely functional in comparison to the one he held in his left hand, which was shifted in its Sickle form. In his right hand was a small cylindrical device which he held a tight grip on. The trigger.

"You..." Ruby seethed through gritted teeth, glaring at Reaper as she tightened her grip on _Crescent Rose_ , shifting the weapon into its Sniper form. "You're gonna pay for what you've done!"

"I doubt that very much..." Reaper murmured, his voice gurgling almost as if he his throat had been cut. "And I'm afraid you're out of time. There are many ways this can go, but they all end the same."

"You forgot about the way me and Jack kick your ass!" Ruby seethed, quickly aiming _Crescent Rose_ at Reaper as he began to laugh sadistically to himself.

"I don't think so." Reaper chuckled, tilting his head to the side slightly. "You see, Soldier 76 won't be able to save you any more..."

Ruby narrowed her eyes as Reaper continued to laugh, before quickly widening in shock. She looked up through the grated floors above her as Reaper's laughter continued to echo around the room. Amongst the bodies of Talon operatives above her, she spotted a sprawled form of a man, wearing a jacket with the number '76' on it.

"No..." Ruby whimpered, shaking her head as she lowered her guard. Jack was...dead? Ruby's sadness was soon overcome by pure anger, her eyes narrowed in a hateful gaze as she brought _Crescent Rose_ up again, aiming at Reaper once again. "Why would you do this?! He was your friend!"

"My friend died 20 years ago, when he tried to kill me!" Reaper hissed back, quickly raising his right hand up, his finger gingerly flipping up a small cover on the remote trigger in his hand, revealing a large red button. "And now you can join him..."

 _BANG!_

Reaper howled in pain as he staggered back from the blow, Ruby already loading a fresh bullet into the chamber with a satisfying click. Reaper seethed in pain as he looked down at what was left of his right forearm. The flesh and Armour had been completely obliterated by the Heavy Duty bullet, along with the trigger. All that was left was a fleshy stump with shattered bone and fragmented metal. Hissing loudly, Reaper quickly shifted the Sickle into its Shotgun form and began to fire with his one good arm, forcing Ruby to take evasive action.

"Die!" Reaper hissed as he continued to fire, holding what was left of his right arm close to his chest.

As Ruby prepared to return fire, a stray bullet hit a pipe next to her, causing a jet of steam to spray out in front of her, causing her to duck beneath the hot air as she hid behind a corner. As Reaper scanned the room for Ruby, his eyes fell on the dead Talon operative before him. Ruby then watched in horror as smoky tendrils weaved around Reaper as he began to spasm uncontrollably. A red ethereal stream then began to leave the corpse and enter Reaper, the Talon operatives body slowly beginning to whither away as Reaper's shattered arm slowly began to grow back. Ruby nearly dropped her weapon as Reaper's arm quickly returned, his gnarled and clawed hand quickly grasping for the weapon holstered to his hip.

"Oh my god..." Ruby whimpered, slowly backing away as Reaper turned to face her. She knew that Reaper was damn near invincible, but regrowing limbs? That was unfair!

"What's the matter?" Reaper laughed, his voice dangerously low as he aimed both weapons at Ruby. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Reaper began to fire immediately at Ruby, who only just managed to dodge the barrage of bullets coming her way. If there was one good thing in this scenario, it was that only one of his weapons were pin point accurate. The other was acting more like a sawn-off Shotgun, deadly at close range, but completely useless at long range. She could easily keep her distance, the problem was that he was pretty fast. No doubt whatever injuries he had before the fight were now completely healed when he drained that corpse.

Ruby fired two more Ballistic rounds, Reaper quickly weaving through them with ease. She had to be careful with her shots, she only had about four Ballistic rounds left in this magazine, then it was back to normal ammunition. And if that happened, she would stand no chance. In response to this, Ruby quickly shifted _Crescent Rose_ into its Scythe form and charged Reaper, hefting the Scythe over her head.

Quickly shifting the Shotgun in his left hand into its Sickle form, Reaper parried the blow before swinging his own weapon in return, forcing Ruby back with each swing. Reaper continued to press his apparent advantage until Ruby was backed up against the wall. With a snicker of satisfaction, Reaper swung forward, only for the Sickle to become embedded in the wall as Ruby dashed out of the way.

As Reaper pried his weapon out of the wall, he ducked as Ruby swung at him, her own weapon getting embedded in the wall. As Ruby attempted to pull back, Reaper grasped her by the back of her head and slammed her against the wall, causing her to yelp in pain as she staggered back. Reaper then holstered his weapons as he began to punch Ruby with a number of left and right hooks, causing her to stagger back with each and every hit. With the final punch, Ruby fell to the floor as Reaper then crouched over her, quickly grasping her throat and squeezing hard.

"Just! Die!" Reaper seethed as he continued to apply pressure, moving his face out of arms reach as Ruby attempted to claw at it.

Ruby was soon thrashing about on the floor like a fish out of water, her mouth agape as she attempted to swallow air, yet Reaper's grip was too strong. She could feel her legs slowing down as her vision blurred and darkened, as what air was already in her lungs was slowly leaving her body. As her fate seemed sealed, she looked behind her at the Generator, a plan already forming in her brain. Quickly planting her feet onto Reaper's chest, she grasped hold of his robe collar and pulled him closer, surprise written all over his visible eye.

"Death comes..." Ruby muttered, a sly grin on her face.

Reaper's eyes soon widened in shock as he realised what was about to happen. Using every last ounce of strength, Ruby threw Reaper over her, right into the Generator. She spun round onto her belly as she watched Reaper tumble directly into the Generator...only for him to activate his Semblance and disappear altogether.

Ruby quickly stood up, taking huge intakes of air as she quickly charged towards _Crescent Rose_ , prying it free from the wall and shifting it into its Sniper form. She scanned the room, searching for any sign of Reaper, yet she found none.

" _Ruby?! Are you still there?"_ Winston's voice suddenly asked, startling Ruby as she fumbled for her earpiece.

"Yeah I'm still here, I dealt with the trigger but the Generator is still unstable." Ruby stated, looking up as the Generator began to shoot out even more electricity.

" _Don't worry, I can help in that regard!"_ Winston stated, causing Ruby to let out a sigh of relief. _"Head over to the main console, I'll guide you from there on out."_

Ruby wasted no time, quickly dashing to a number of computer terminals, all of them flashing with warning lights.

"Right, I'm at the console." Ruby stated, leaning against the console as she leaned _Crescent Rose_ against the console. "Now what do I do?"

" _Look for an Emergency Restart!"_ Winston ordered, Ruby's eyes scanning the console rapidly for the button. _"It should reset the Generator systems and shut it down before it can overload! It should be a large red press with white arrows pointing-"_

A heavy thud soon resounded around the room, causing Ruby to gasp and turn around. Stood before her was Reaper, his Shotguns in hand as he aimed them at her. Ruby quickly grasped _Crescent Rose_ and aimed at Reaper, but he was quicker. He let loose a barrage of bullets, causing Ruby to stagger with each hit until she fell forward, groaning loudly. She looked up, _Crescent Rose_ slightly out of reach. Then she spotted Reaper, raising a Shotgun aimed at her face…

 _BANG!_

 **00000000**

Soldier 76 let out a groan as he slowly opened his eyes, the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. He groaned loudly as he slowly got up, clutching his shoulder as blood poured out of the wound. His head hurt, his chest hurt, everything hurt. He was beginning to bleed out, if he didn't get medical attention soon then he was good as dead.

 _BANG!_

Soldier 67 froze at the sound of a bullet going off. Turning around rapidly, he looked through the grated floor and gasped. Reaper was slowly stalking towards Ruby, who laid sprawled across the floor, seemingly unconscious or dazed at the very least. He had to help her. He rose to stand, but quickly collapsed again in pain. He dragged himself across the grated floor towards the handrail, quickly fumbling for a pistol on a nearby Talon operatives corpse. Checking the weapon was loaded, he pulled himself up to a standing position, biting his lips in an attempt to silence his pain before half leaning half collapsing onto the handrail, lazily aiming the weapon at Reaper…

 **00000000**

" _Ruby?!… Ruby?!"_

Ruby groaned loudly as she rubbed her forehead, her vision blurred. In front of her on the floor was _Crescent Rose_ and her earpiece, the device having fallen out no doubt when Reaper blasted her. She looked up to see Reaper slowly walking forward, quickly ejecting the spent shells as he slowly loaded fresh rounds into the weapon.

" _Ruby are you there?!"_ Winston's voice shouted, causing Reaper to stop and stare at the device before focusing on Ruby again. _"Please respond!"_

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to send them your regards..." Reaper chuckled as he aimed the Shotguns at Ruby, who groaned loudly as she attempted to stand. "And when you see your Uncle Qrow shortly, tell him I said 'hi'..."

Ruby looked up with determination, gritting her teeth as she growled at Reaper, who only seemed to find the sight before him humorous. Ruby could only watch as Reaper's fingers tightened around the triggers and-

 _BANG!_

Reaper yelped in pain as he staggered back, a gunshot in his shoulder. Seething loudly, he glared upwards, only to stagger once more at the sight before him. Soldier 76 leaning against the handrail, a pistol grasped loosely in his hand, the barrel smoking.

"Not dead yet Soldier?!" Reaper seethed, rolling his shoulder forward as he glared at the vigilante. "That can be arranged!"

"Hey Reaper!" Ruby suddenly shouted, causing the terrorist to growl loudly as he spun around to face Ruby.

 _BANG!_

Reaper staggered back as he grunted in pain, a large bloodied crater in his chest. Looking up, he saw Ruby holding _Crescent Rose_ , the barrel smoking as she loaded a fresh round into the chamber.

"That was for betraying your Team Mates!" Ruby hissed, stepping forward quickly as Reaper growled before charging.

 _BANG!_

Reaper howled in pain again as another Ballistic bullet hit his chest, staggering him back further as Ruby loaded another round into the chamber.

"That was for hurting my friends!" Ruby shouted, watching as Reaper slowly staggered forward, glaring at Ruby with hate filled eyes.

 _BANG!_

Reaper staggered back again as Ruby fired the third Ballistic bullet, nearly sending Reaper into the Generator, the terrorist now struggling to stand straight.

"That was for everyone you killed! And this," Ruby stated, pausing as she loaded the final Ballistic round into the chamber. "Is for my Uncle Qrow!"

 _BANG!_

Reaper staggered back at the final round, finally coming into contact with the Generator. Ruby winced as Reaper began to scream and howl in pain, electricity arcing all over his form. Reaper let out one last gurgle of pain as his form slowly disintegrated, his weapons and mask clattering to the floor with a loud thud. Ruby fell to her knees in complete shock, dropping _Crescent Rose_ onto the floor.

"He's...he's dead..." Ruby murmured, laughing nervously to herself as a sad smile crept onto her face. "He's finally dead..."

" **WARNING! GENERATOR OVERLOAD IN 30 SECONDS!"**

Ruby gasped as she turned to face the console, the flashing lights having intensified as more warnings flashed on the screen. Ruby sped towards the console, quickly analysing the buttons before her. Winston had said it was red with white arrows pointing...right, he never said because of Reaper. Her eyes scanned the console, searching for the button that could save them all.

" **GENERATOR OVERLOAD IN 15 SECONDS!"**

Ruby continued to scan, ignoring the automated countdown the systems AI had started. Then her eyes found the button, causing her to let out a premature gasp of relief. Without a second thought, she slammed her hand on the button, the console shaking as it initiated the programmed response.

" **EMERGENCY RESTART INITIATED! RESETTING ALL SYSTEMS! GENERATOR NOW STABLE!"**

Ruby sighed in relief as she slumped down on the ground, nearly collapsing from exhaustion. She looked around as she slowly picked up _Crescent Rose_ , though she paused as she remembered something important.

"Jack!" Ruby shouted, quickly dropping her weapon as she sprinted up the stairs, Soldier 76 on the verge of consciousness as Ruby quickly shook him. "Jack! Are you okay?!"

Soldier 76 coughed loudly as he slowly opened his eyes, a faint smile on his face as Ruby came into view.

"Not bad..." Soldier 76 started, pausing as he took in another breath of air. "...for a rookie..."

Ruby smiled slightly as she quickly hugged the vigilante, who lightly patted her on the back before she drew away, slinging Soldier 76's arm over her shoulder as she gently hefted him up.

"Come on," Ruby stated, gently guiding Soldier 76 out of the Generator room. "Let's get out of here."

 **00000000**

 **Well that was that, Reaper finally got his comeuppance. But still a chapter left to do, loose ends that still need tying. Find out how that will go next week. As always, if you liked leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed! Any questions? Either leave in your review and I'll answer next chapter or PM me and I'll answer whenever.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	24. A Harvest Ends

**This is it! The final chapter is upon us! It has been one wild ride, but I'll save all that crap for later. Now though, review response time! Dragonsoul1; Yang would be proud of that pun. Guest; Well, glad you liked the story as a whole. As for your request, I don't mind at all. Just bare in mind that there are certain things I don't do (see my profile page for a bunch of rules) and at the moment I'm going to focus on my other story and finish that before starting anything new, so it could be a while. But yeah, feel free to pop in your suggestion. Abrams 1559; I take it a mass murderer being disintegrated isn't enough for you then? The WovenMantis; Thank you for that compliment. As for who screwed Overwatch...you'll see. Metalex; I couldn't resist putting it in. Crushcommando; If it's any consolation, Reaper was my favourite Hero to play during the Open Beta, so it wasn't exactly easy to do. Dragon; Yes he has, now he can binge himself to unconsciousness in peace! And finally OutlastTheDark; Well, I'm sure we all would become aggressive if we came face to face with the man/woman/thing that murdered someone extremely close to you in front of your very eyes. I understood that reference! And yeah, Generators are useful...except when they're used as weapons of mass destruction. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 24- A Harvest Ends**

 **One Week Later…**

Ozpin watched from his office as the Vytal Arena slowly hovered over Vale, having arrived only yesterday afternoon. Students once again populated the school grounds, no longer fearing what lurked in the shadows. After the botched raid by Talon, many who had survived were imprisoned by Vale and Atlas authorities, with only a few managing to escape. Talon operations also seemed to die down quickly afterwards, not just in Vale, but across all of the Four Kingdoms. It was admittedly suspicious, but for now, they had enough room to breathe.

" _Ozpin, Ruby Rose is ready to see you now."_ a robotic yet soothing female voice announced, causing Ozpin to turn away from the window.

"Thank you Athena, let her in." Ozpin replied, brushing off his jacket as he took a seat at his desk.

" _Of course sir."_ the AI, now identified as Athena, responded.

Athena had been a gift from Winston some time after the battle. Better make that Professor Winston now. It was a form of 'thank you' present for giving him a job with fresh material to work with, it was the least Ozpin could offer both him and Jack Morrison, though the only the former had accepted. He had been developing Athena for a few weeks to help manage the former Overwatch Academy, but seeing as he wasn't going to be there for much longer, he felt it would better serve him instead. He had at first scoffed at the idea of an AI helping manage the Academy, but Athena had proven she was more then a simple Atlas Military AI, and surprisingly helped lighten his work load. Seconds later, the doors to his office opened, and Ruby Rose stepped out clad in her uniform.

"Athena, could you please leave us for a moment?" Ozpin asked, glancing at his screen slightly as he spoke.

" _Of course sir, I will run a diagnostics check on our systems if that is acceptable."_ Athena offered, the screen turning a faint blue colour as she spoke.

"Make it so Athena." Ozpin replied, nodding as Athena's symbol disappeared from his screen, indicating that the AI had left the office. "Thank you for seeing me Miss Rose. Please take a seat."

Ruby quickly stepped forward, taking a seat opposite Ozpin. It was silent for a few seconds before anyone finally spoke.

"How are you, Miss Rose?" Ozpin finally asked, leaning back in his chair slightly whilst his fingers interlocked with one another.

"Fine I guess..." Ruby replied, rubbing the back of her head as she slowly looked around the office. "Sorry for asking but is there a reason you asked to see me sir?"

"I asked you here so that I may congratulate you Miss Rose." Ozpin responded, his arms open wide as he straightened up slightly. "Not only did you stop a dangerous mass murderer in his tracks, but you saved the school as well."

"Actually, Jack did most of the work." Ruby sheepishly laughed, rubbing the back of her head slowly. "Besides, I only did what any one else would have done."

"Indeed you did." Ozpin stated, quickly standing up from his chair and walking towards her. "But you acted where others refrained. It was you who chose to pursue Reaper, and it was you who struck the final blow."

"Thank you sir." Ruby replied, bowing her head lightly.

"But I want you to remember, Reaper was once a Huntsman that let his drive for vengeance dominate him." Ozpin warned, reassuringly squeezing Ruby's shoulder. "You are a Huntress, yet you are still young. Do not let vengeance consume you as it did him. It wouldn't be what Qrow or your Mother wanted."

Ruby looked away slightly as Ozpin let his hand slip from her shoulder and back to behind his back. Did Ozpin know that the reason- the main reason- she went after Reaper was because of Qrow? And was there more then he let on about Reaper? Did he have allies that still lived that were in some way responsible? Ruby lightly shook her head as she banished those thoughts from her mind. She wasn't going to let vengeance consume her. She wasn't going to become another Reaper.

"Now, off you go." Ozpin stated, a small smile on his face as he nodded to the door. "You may be a hero, but that doesn't mean you can skip lessons. Besides, you and your friends have a tournament to prepare for."

Ruby nodded quickly, nearly jumping out of her chair as she made her way to the door and back to her Team Mates.

"And Ruby?" Ozpin suddenly shouted, causing her to pause in her tracks and spin around to face Ozpin. "Qrow would be proud of you."

Ruby smiled lightly as Ozpin said those words, the door quickly closing as she left the office. Ozpin stood there a while longer, before returning to his desk, Athena's symbol suddenly popping up on the screen.

" _Sir, all systems are functioning at an above average percent."_ Athena stated as Ozpin pushed his chair in slightly.

"That is good to hear Athena." Ozpin replied, though his mind was focused on another task at hand.

Qrow had been a valuable ally against Salem and her forces, and with him dead he no longer had an informant in the field. However, there was another who could help him. Someone Qrow said he would trust with his life, someone who had the skills he needed…

"Athena, contact ID 3945_49." Ozpin ordered, Athena responding immediately to the command.

" _Anything else sir?"_ Athena asked, the screen in front of him showing the specified contact.

"I want this call to be off the record and secure." Ozpin stated, pushing his glasses up slightly as he spoke. "We can't risk anyone listening in on this."

" _Of course sir."_ Athena replied, waiting a few seconds as she checked the connection was secure before speaking once again. _"Contacting ID 3945_49."_

 **00000000**

Soldier 76 watched with crossed arms as Winston guided a group of delivery men carrying the remains of a Bastion unit into his new quarters. The automaton must have been extremely heavy, considering that four heavily built men each holding equal weight were struggling to hold the robot as they carried it into Winston's office.

"Easy now..." Winston murmured, signalling for the delivery men to raise the robot higher. "Bang the head and you'll mess up its systems."

"Is that bad?" one of the delivery men asked, his voice strained from carrying the robot all the way from outside the Academy entrance.

"If by bad you mean will it kill us all, then no." Winston reassured, earning a sigh of relief from the delivery men. "Though they get an extreme fascination with birds for some reason..."

It was less then a minute later until the delivery men finally placed the Bastion unit on the ground, each one of them panting heavily as they slowly slumped themselves on the floor.

"Was that the last one?" one of the delivery men asked, wiping his forehead clean of sweat.

"Let's see..." Winston murmured to himself, looking around as he counted the Bastion units already in his quarters, all of them in varying conditions. "Yes, that's all of them. Thank you for your assistance."

The delivery men sighed in relief as they slowly got up off the floor and made their way out of the office, each one at their own pace. Soldier 76 stood out of the shadows soon afterwards, his mask in hand, Winston not even noticing his arrival.

"So, you're a Professor now?" Soldier 76 grunted, chuckling slightly to himself. "Isn't there meant to be a bunch of interviews and qualification requirements you need before getting a job?"

Winston spun around quickly to face Soldier 76, the surprised look on his face turning into a relaxed grin as Soldier 76 approached. "What can I say? Guess I made a good first impression."

"So, what are you teaching these runts anyway?" Soldier 76 asked, tossing his mask into the air lightly before catching it.

"Advanced Science and Robotics." Winston replied, turning around as he began to observe the decapitated head of a Bastion unit. "I've heard I may have a problem with some of the Students but it should be nothing I can't handle."

"I feel sorry for the runts that try anything with you..." Soldier 76 grunted, looking around at the office.

"I heard Ozpin offered you a job here as well as an Assistant Combat Instructor to Goodwitch." Winston then spoke up, turning around again to face Soldier 76 again. "Why did you decline?"

"You know why." Soldier 76 stated, causing Winston to sigh slightly. "The only reason he offered us those jobs is because he needs us for something. He may not say it, or even mean it, but to him we're just pawns in a game of chess...and I don't want to know who he's playing against."

"So what will you do?" Winston asked, stepping forward slightly as he spoke.

"Gabriel was right about one thing, Overwatch got hit by someone. And I intend to find out who it was." Soldier 76 answered, turning to face the doorway. "And I can't do that whilst teaching a bunch of children."

"I see..." Winston murmured, sighing again as he rubbed his face before holding out his hand. "I wish you luck in your mission then Huntsman."

"I'm not a Huntsman..." Soldier 76 replied, pausing as he placed the mask on his face with an audible hiss and click before turning to face Winston again. "I'm just a Soldier."

Soldier 76 then grasped Winston's hand and shook it sharply, before retreating into the shadows, Winston smiling slightly to himself.

"We'll make a Huntsman out of you yet Jack..." Winston murmured, turning to face a nearby Bastion unit before clapping his hands together. "Right then, let's see what we can make out of you then..."

" _Professor Winston,"_ the all to familiar voice of Athena suddenly spoke up, causing Winston to freeze as he faced his computer terminal. _"the Students for your first lesson are waiting to enter. Shall I allow them access."_

"Right, of course." Winston sheepishly chuckled to himself, quickly turning away from the Bastion unit as he approached the doorway that led into his designated teaching area. He soon coughed nervously as he readjusted the chest piece of his armour, taking a deep breath whilst whispering words of encouragement to himself. "I can do this. If I can design and build a Chronal Accelerator in a few days then I can teach a bunch of Students..."

 **00000000**

"I thought Science would be boring but that was pretty fun." Yang chuckled as she and her Team Mates left the classroom.

"You only thought it was fun because Winston pretty much made Cardin wet himself in fear." Weiss countered, causing Blake to laugh to herself slightly as she recalled that specific moment.

"Yeah, that was pretty fun as well.." Yang mumbled to herself, laughing slightly as she also recalled the look in Cardin's eyes.

"So guys, we have a few hours until next lesson. What do you want to do?" Ruby asked, the other members of her Team stopping as they turned to face Ruby.

"I think we deserve a little break." Yang stated, cracking her knuckles as she stretched her arms. "You know, because we're heroes and stuff."

"Not so fast!" Weiss interrupted, crossing her arms quickly as she glared slightly at Yang who rolled her eyes in response. "We have a tournament to practice for, and we need to be on top form if we're going to stand a chance!"

"Oh please, we're like in the top percentage in Combat exercises in Beacon." Yang chuckled, her hands placed on her hips which was cocked to one side.

"Tell that to the Student from Mistral who was teleporting all over the place!" Weiss retorted quickly, a smug smile on her face.

"Oh yeah...what was her name again?" Yang mumbled as she tried to remember the Student in question.

"Oxton I think it was...or was it Tracey?" Blake mumbled as she too tried to remember the Student in question.

"Whoever they are, I agree with Weiss on this one." Ruby finally spoke up, pointing at Weiss as she spoke. "Besides, can't hurt to be prepared right?"

"Exactly!" Weiss concurred, the smug smile on her face becoming wider.

"Guess you're right." Yang murmured, rolling her shoulders forward slightly as she twisted her neck slightly. "Last one to the sparring hall has to wash Zwei!"

Yang, Weiss and Blake suddenly sped off to the sparring hall to avoid such a fate, yet Ruby lingered a while longer outside the classroom. After a few seconds, she looked up at the ceiling, a sad smile on her face as she continued to stare.

"Say hi to Mum for me Qrow..." Ruby whispered softly, before dashing off to catch up with her Team Mates. She may love that dog, but there was no way she was going to wash him!

 **00000000**

"Reaper and Talon failed miserably at their task," Cinder reported to Salem, a confident sneer on her face. "Just as planned."

" _Good, with the threat of Talon and the Reaper extinguished, we have them in a false sense of security."_ Salem cooed in her ear, the writhing shadows around her gently easing her from the floor. _"Rise, Cinder."_

Cinder obeyed and slowly stood up, her hands clasped firmly at her sides as she awaited orders from her Mistress.

" _The Vytal Festival will soon be upon us, and as our victory comes closer, so to does our greatest opposition."_

"Ozpin." Cinder smirked, a small orb of fire hovering above her palm as she uttered the name. "When will we strike?"

" _Near the Finals, I will give the order to the Grimm. Then you and your operatives will relay the same orders to the White Fang, Talon and what remains of the Shimada Clan."_ Salem responded, her voice turning into a soft whisper. _"Soon victory shall be secured against the people of Vale. It started with Overwatch's Downfall, and it will end with Beacon's fall."_

"I will take my leave, Mistress." Cinder whispered, turning around to leave the meditative state she was in, though stopped in her tracks to say one last thing. "A shame that the girl killed Reaper. Things may have gone a lot quicker with him still alive."

In response, Salem chuckled lightly to herself, causing Cinder to pause and turn again. _"Were it so easy..."_

Cinder narrowed her eyes in confusion at Salem's statement, only for a pool of shadow to appear before her. The pool shifted until it turned into an image, one that Cinder recognised as the Generator, though it had since been shut down until more secure fail-safes had been put in place.

Then, the sound of hushed whispers echoed in Cinder's mind as a stream of black smoke rose from the Generator floor and out of sight…

 **Fin.**

 **00000000**

 **Well, I guess that ending is the perfect opportunity to announce I'll be doing a sequel. Yay? Anyway, sequel won't be here for a while as I'll be pouring all my time and energy into my RWBY/Fable Fan Fiction 'The Hero of Remnant', which will be moving up to Saturday. As for those who may be asking "How is Reaper still alive?", he survived a similar fate in the Overwatch Cinematic 'Recall'. I would just like to take this time however, to thank you all so much for reading this story. There have been good times and bad times, and really bad times, and whether you've been following from the very beginning or just joined recently, I thank you from the bottom of my cold, black heart.**

 **Raging Archon out, for the final time.**


End file.
